Warrior of Lucis
by Kairi-97
Summary: The Princess of Lucis betrothed to the Prince of Tenebrae. But things go wrong when Insomnia falls to the Empire. Princess Bellatrix finally free from the shackles of royal expectations sets out to save her people and find her brother. However her heart is torn between her betrothed and her first love; the King's shield. Soon conflict arises between her duty and what's right.
1. Chapter 1: Goodbyes and Hellos

**Final Fantasy XV: Warrior of Lucis**

Name: Bellatrix Lucis Caelum

Nickname: Bella

Age: 18

Height: 5ft 3in

Appearance: Fair skin with a golden undertone, oval shaped face, high cheekbones, chiselled jawline, sharp almond shaped green eyes, long thick eyelashes, small button nose, rosy full lips and rosy cheeks, black straight hair up to her hips, side swept bangs, toned arms and legs with a curvaceous body.

Voice: Emilia Clarke

* * *

 **Chapter 1: Goodbyes and Hellos**

Bellatrix Lucis Caelum sat in front of her mirror as her lady in waiting Maria brushed her hair. The young woman was the youngest child and only daughter of King Regis and the late Queen Aulea. She was a beautiful Princess who inherited most of her features from her father but only some features from her late mother. People around the Palace would tell her that she looked more like her father than her mother but she reminded her father more of his late queen than himself.

But of course, many people compared her to her brother, Noctis. She was different compared to him, he acted less like royalty and more people were able to relate to him more. The people loved and adored the Crown Prince for who he was rather than what he was. The Princess however was taught from a young age to act like a Princess even though she hated it. She found it hard to express herself and felt as if she was a puppet to play her part. In a way, she was jealous of her brother who was free to do what he chose. He had many friends, the only friend she had was Iris Amicitia. But that did not stop the Princess from loving her brother any less. He meant the entire world to her and she loved him terribly just like how she loved her father. Noctis and Regis knew that she was the bridge between them.

Speaking of bridges, it had been 3 months since she had turned 18 and she and the Kingdom knew what that meant. 12 years ago, Queen Sylva Via Fleuret wished that the Fleuret and Lucis families would one day be combined by marriage. In order to build a bridge between Tenebrae and Lucis both children from those families had to marry. It was first agreed that once the Princess came of age, she would marry Ravus.

In her heart, Bella did not want to marry Ravus. It was not because he was the High Commander of the Empire, it was just that her heart loved another. Since she was 15 her eyes were always on Gladiolus Amicitia; not only was he handsome, but he had a kind heart. Of course he was never aware of her feelings, no one but her and Iris knew. However, he only saw her as the Prince's sister and someone he had to protect nothing more nothing less. She had wished she had the courage before to speak with him and get to know more about him, but her lady in waiting would scold her for this. Fortunately within the past 3 months, Gladio and the Princess got to know each other more. But it meant nothing now, he along with Noctis, Ignis and Prompto were going to Altissia and Bella would get engaged in Lucis.

Today she would meet her betrothed for the first time in 12 years. Bella wore a black short sleeved with a v-neckline, gold sequin midi skirt, black tights, black heels with a diamond gold choker and gold chandelier crystal earrings. She also wore a golden hornlike crown on top of her head like her father's. The young Princess wore minimal makeup, a dark red lipstick and some mascara.

"Would you like your hair left out or would you rather something else?" Maria asked. The lady in waiting was a 50 year old woman with white hair, fair skin, brown stern eyes and a small frame. She was someone Bella did not respect at all as whenever the Princess would take interest in something other than her royal duties, her lady in waiting would shoot her down. Bella's eyebrows furrowed together when her lady waiting spoke.

"Does it really matter?" She asked bitterly and Maria grinded her teeth together.

"You will not disgrace the Lucis name by showing that kind of attitude in front of the Prince of Tenebrae. You will become Queen of Tenebrae soon, why don't you start acting like one?" She hissed.

"I am not a puppet." Bella replied and turned to her whilst standing up. "I act however I want to and if the Prince does not like that then maybe I will not marry him."

"Do not forget your duty as Princess. If you refuse to marry Ravus then you will bring shame and dishonour to the Kingdom" Maria growled and Bella fell quiet. It was true. The young woman looked down and she frowned.

The clock in her bedroom gonged indicating it was noon and Bella looked up with a soft gasp. Her brother was leaving and she had to say goodbye. The young woman ran towards the door, grabbing her bag, with her lady in waiting barking at her to come back, but she wasn't going to listen. The young Princess ran through the halls and down the stairs to the lift. She took the lift down to the reception of the building and sprinted across to the door. The doors were pushed through by the footman. The young woman ran to the edge of the stairs and saw her brother turning around; he must have been waiting for her.

"Noct!" She yelled and ran down the stairs as quickly as she could. Noctis and his friends turned around to see her. They were all surprised; she looked so beautiful today. Gladio's cheeks were a faint red and completely hot; Bella was more beautiful that she already was.

Bella jumped from the stairs and onto her brother. Her brother opened his arms and caught her whilst taking a step back. The young woman wrapped her arms around his neck and held him against her.

"Bella…" He hugged her back with a sorrowful smile.

"Good luck on your journey." She mumbled. "I will miss you terribly." She pulled away from him and he let her go.

"You're all dressed up..." He had a hint of disgust in his eyes and disappointment in his voice. His sister noticed this and she gulped.

"Yes, today I am going to meet the Prince of Tenebrae." Bella stated. "I wish I could go with you to Altissia. But I must stay here."

"I would have taken you with me but I can't." Noctis replied and she placed her hand on her chest.

"I understand. I look forward to seeing you again." The young woman turned to Ignis. "Please take care of my stubborn brother. Make sure he eats his vegetables."

"Yes, Your Highness." He nodded and she pouted at her brother whilst pointing her finger at him.

"You make sure you eat whatever Ignis puts on a plate for you. No raising your nose or picking at your food." Prompto was snickering in the background whilst Gladio smirked.

"Yes I will." He whined and she looked at Prompto.

"Please stay by his side and send me whatever embarrassing picture you take of him." She smiled.

"You'll be the first person to see 'me!" He exclaimed.

"Hey!" He groaned.

When Bella turned to Gladio, she felt her heart break a little. She had to let him go without telling him her feelings. Her gaze became gentle and she had this soft smile on her face.

"Please protect him and yourself from any harm that may befall you." Bella stated. "I know you're the best to do so." He placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head down.

"Yes, Your Highness." He stated and stood up.

"Congratulations in future for your engagement, Princess Bella." Ignis stated and she blushed whilst nodding.

"Yeah congrats! You're gonna be Bellatrix Nox Fleuret, Queen of Tenebrae." Her cheeks were a faint red after what Prompto said. "I've heard he's very handsome. Aren't you lucky?"

"Ah really?" Bella asked nervously.

"I'd say he's lucky." She was internally screaming at Gladio's comment.

"She's only 18, pretty much a kid and she's marrying someone 10 years older." Noctis muttered and Bella was quite offended by this remark; since this was what the tabloids were saying.

"I act like more of an adult than you do." She countered back. "Stop seeing me as a child and look at yourself in the mirror for once." The others were dead silent until the Crown Prince raised his hands and broke the silence.

"You got me there." Noctis said. "I'll bring you a souvenir from Altissia. Will that make you happy?"

"I don't want a souvenir." Her eyebrows furrowed together.

"Bella, don't be spoi-"

"I want you here." She interrupted him and his eyes widened a little. "Do you really have to go?"

"I have to, Bella…" He mumbled and it pained him to say so. She sighed shakily holding back her tears but nodded with a smile.

"Well, if you're going to get me something; could you get me something from the Rock of Ravatogh?" Bella sounded cheerful and excited.

"You want a rock?" He asked sarcastically.

"Obsidian would be perfect." The Princess replied. "Though it is rare."

"Why would you want obsidian?" Noctis questioned.

"Because I want it, you just wouldn't understand." She stated and he shrugged.

"Gotcha. Alright see ya." The Crown Prince waved and she waved back.

"I pray you have a safe journey and a quick return." The others got into the Regalia and just as the Prince was about to enter he turned to his sister.

"Take care of the old man for me." He stated and she placed her hand on her chest.

"I promise!" She exclaimed cheerfully.

She watched her only love with stinging teary eyes. Their driver did a U turn and was driving to the exit. She felt her heart break into a million pieces and those pieces fell to the pit of her stomach. Her heavy breathing came out shaky as the tears finally fell down her cheeks. The Princess clasped her hands together with them pressed against her chest which was raising up and down from her heavy breathing. The next time she would see him again was going to be as a married woman.

"I love you…" Her voice squeaked quietly as the car passed through the gates.

Something switched from within Bella when she watched the car pass through. She gripped onto her fists and shook her head. There was no way she was going to let them go, no way was she going to let the man she loved go whilst she settled with her duties. The young woman was running towards the gate even though it was far away.

"Wait!" She yelled but they couldn't hear her.

"Bellatrix!" Her lady in waiting yelled with anger and the Princess felt someone grab her arm with the roughest and firmest grip. It was so hard that she could feel Marie's nails dig into her skin. But the Princess ignored the pain and her lady in waiting as she advanced forward in an attempt to run after them. But Marie yanked her back in a rough manner as if she was a wild animal being pulled by its leash. The Princess fell onto her knees as she was being dragged back until her emotions exploded.

"No! He needs to know! He needs to know my feelings for him! Let me tell him I love him, please!" Bella cried but her protests meant nothing.

"I am not stupid, girl. You are not running away from your responsibilities! You are a Princess and you will not dishonour your family or kingdom!" The Princess tried to pull free from Marie's grasp but her grip was too strong. The tears had streaked her. Her knees were also scraped from the concrete and bleeding which angered the lady in waiting even more. "You will marry your betrothed whether you like it or not! Do you understand me?"

"I don't want this! I want to be free to do whatever I choose! I don't want to be a puppet anymore!" Bellatrix was screaming at this point. "I want to be as free as a bird. If I stay here I will only be a bird trapped in a cage."

"Shut your little spoilt mouth and behave!" Marie hissed and grabbed her by the hair.

"Let her go now!" Instantly Marie had let go of the Princess who stayed still whilst staring at the floor. The voice was extremely stern and could only come from one person; Cor Leonis who had 2 royal guards by his side.

"Cor-" He would not let her finish.

"How dare you manhandle the Princess? Who do you think you are?" He hissed. "Take her away."

"But-" Again, Cor would not let Marie finish.

"But nothing, get her away from here." The guards dragged the woman away from the Princess who was on her knees with her arms wrapped around herself sobbing and shaking.

Cor looked down at the young woman and felt his stone heart crack and drop. He placed his hand on her shoulder and took out something in his pocket. It was a potion and he handed it to her. She took it and broke it with her hand whilst standing to her feet. Her injuries slowly healed and the Marshall pulled her to her feet.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly.

"Yes…I am fine." She muttered softly.

"Will you still be okay meeting the Prince?" Bella nodded. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, I just need to wipe my face." She said and looked up at him. "How do I look?"

Cor looked at her and smiled. He took out a handkerchief from his pocket and wiped the tears. Thank goodness she was wearing waterproof makeup. Whenever the Marshall looked at her he would have this warm feeling in his ice cold heart. He didn't have a child but this young woman standing in front of him was like his own. Since she was a babe, she had been close to him. Her first word was "Gor" which broke her father's heart because he knew she meant to say Cor. Cor was more like a father to her than Regis was. Not only was he extremely supportive but he gave her advice and listened to her problems. He was the only one other than her father to reassure her that it was okay to drop the proposal. The Marshall was also the only one, other than Iris, to know her secret.

"I know the truth, Princess." He stated whilst staring at the gate. She looked up at him confused on what he meant. Cor looked down at her with that usual stern look which Bella was not afraid of. But his hard glare melted away. "You're in love with Gladiolus aren't you?"

Bella's eyebrows rose and her green eyes widened. She gasped quietly and felt her heart stop for a good minute or so.

"W-what? Don't be absurd." Bella replied but the older man just glared at her again. The glare was enough for her to stop lying. She felt her muscles relax as she sighed; letting everything go. "I…I do love him but it is too late. He only sees me as his best friend's sister."

"How long have you had feelings for him?" He asked and she gulped.

"5 years." He did a double take at her.

"5 years and you didn't tell him your feelings? Wait…does he know?" She shook her head.

"Only you and Iris know and I would like to keep it that way." Bellatrix mumbled. "If father knew…"

"If the King knew he would have wanted you to follow your heart. Bellatrix, there is still time. If you tell the King he will cancel the proposal and you can meet Noctis and the others at Hammerhead." Cor explained but she knew that there was no point.

"No, I have to marry Ravus. I am promised to him as he is promised to me. If I do this then it may cause danger for Lucis. And even if the proposal is cancelled; what if Gladio doesn't return my feelings?" She asked with teary eyes. "I have to do this Cor, for the good of the Kingdom."

"Very well…" His voice broke with pain and his tone broke her heart.

"I will love him," She smiled. "I just need time." She murmured.

"Very well." Cor nodded and then checked his watch. "We must leave. Are you ready?"

"Yes, we should leave. A Princess is always punctual." She stated.

"I'll go and get a car."

Cor left quickly and within 4 minutes he returned inside a beautiful black car which was bulletproof and the windows were tinted to avoid the attack of the paparazzi. The Princess got into the passenger seat and closed the door. They exited the plaza and the Marshall was driving towards their destination which took only 15 minutes to arrive to. He parked in front of a very tall building called the Regalia building.

"Are you sure you don't want me to be there?" He asked worriedly.

"Cor, if you think about it, this is a date." She smiled. "I will be fine don't worry."

The Princess took off her seatbelt and wrapped her arms around Cor whilst hugging him. She knew he was overprotective of her and the fact that she was meeting the High Commander of the Empire who she is engaged to made him feel scared. He hugged her and patted her back.

"I know you're protective. But I will be okay. If there is any trouble I will call you." She pulled away and had her usual wide grins where her dimples appeared. Whenever he saw that grin it felt like his day was brightened from it, like it was the radiant sun.

"Alright. Take care okay. If anything happens call me." She nodded.

"I will." The young woman waved and got out of the car.

Bellatrix entered the tall building and walked to the receptionist who was texting on her phone. The woman looked 23 with wavy brown mid-back length hair in a messy ponytail, olive skin tone and blue eyes. She wore a white shirt with a black pencil skirt. When she felt a presence she looked up and gasped.

"Oh, Princess." The young woman smiled. "Welcome to the Regalia building. You're going to the Regalia Restaurant right?" She nodded. "Perfect, just take the elevator at the end of the hall, the restaurant is on the top floor."

"Yes, thank you." The Princess nodded. "Um, has the Prince of Tenebrae arrived?" She asked with pink cheeks and the young woman smiled with a sigh of delight.

"Aw that's so cute. But no he hasn't arrived yet. You're actually early." The receptionist stated.

"I see, very well. Thank you." She stated and walked down the hall.

The young woman took the golden elevator which was guarded with 2 bodyguards wearing black suits. They placed their hands on the chest and bowed. She nodded and entered the elevator.

It was golden in colour with a mirror on the doors from inside and a window on the right hand side. The Crown Princess pressed the button which indicated the 100th floor. It moved extremely quickly at 10 metres per second. She did feel a little queasy in the spacious elevator but just looked outside to get her mind off it. It took approximately a minute to get to the top. She heard a bell ring and the doors opened to a restaurant.

Bellatrix exited the elevator and was met with the owner of the restaurant; Mr Angelus. He was a 45 year old man who stood at 5ft 10in with dark brown short hair, fair skin, forest green eyes and a slim body. He wore a dark blue suit accompanied with a black tie and white shirt with black shoes.

"Princess Bellatrix, it is an honour to welcome you to Regalia Restaurant." He grinned and she smiled back.

"Thank you Mr Angelus. This is a beautiful restaurant and it is an honour to meet you." She said.

"I will escort you to your table." Angelus stated.

Bella followed the owner further into the restaurant which was humungous and extravagant. The carpets were black and the curtains on the window were gold. It looked like it could fit 150 people in the room alone but for a spacious restaurant there was only one individual table in the middle. There was ironed white linen on the table on top of black linen which trailed on the floor. The centrepieces were small vanilla candles with red roses. Mr Angelus pulled out a chair and she sat down.

"I will go and check on the preparations in the kitchen. Here is a menu of the dishes available. Is there anything you would like to drink?" He asked curiously.

"Yes, can I have a glass of water please?" She smiled.

"Why of course, now please excuse me." The middle aged man walked away and Bella sighed.

The young Princess felt like her heart was beating so fast that she would collapse. She felt extremely nervous about meeting the Prince of Tenebrae. For some reason she felt like she wasn't good enough for him and that he would immediately reject her. A waiter placed a glass of ice cold water on the table then left. She took a gulp of it and calmed herself down by counting from 10 to 1 in her head. Her breathing was back to normal and her heartbeat slowed down.

Bella opened up the lunch menu; she was starving having only a light breakfast back at the Palace. If she was at home she would order a shit ton of takeaway or go and pig on street food with Iris. She remembered Marie telling her that she should order something light to not seem rude in front of the Prince.

'Fuck it, I'll order whatever I want I'm starving.' The woman thought and smirked at a dish. She knew exactly what she wanted now. The young woman was also looking at the dessert menu too.

The elevator doors opened and out came the Prince of Tenebrae who had no bodyguards with him. The man wore a white slim fit suit with a black shirt and a lavender tie. His goal was to meet the Princess of Lucis and get some answers out of her about where the Crystal might be. He didn't see this as a date but rather interrogation without it seeming to be.

But when Ravus entered the restaurant and laid his eyes on the Princess he didn't expect his feeling to change. When his mismatched eyes fell on the young woman he felt his heart swell with this feeling unknown to him. He could feel his cheeks become warm and the hair at the back of his head raised up. He didn't expect her to be so…beautiful. The last time he saw her, the Princess was only a young child. But now she was a young woman. She didn't look 18 at all, she looked like a mature woman in her mid-20s. He snapped out of such ridiculous thoughts and feelings shaking his head. The young Prince cleared his throat.

Bella looked up at the man, blinked and her eyes widened. It was him…it was the Prince of Tenebrae. And Prompto was completely right; he was extremely handsome. She gulped and felt her heart beating so fast. Her cheeks were hot and turned a faint pink. The Princess stood up, straightened out her skirt and did a curtsey. He placed his hand on his chest and bowed his head down respectfully.

He walked up to her and held out his hand for her. She was a bit shy at first but decided to take it. Ravus bowed down a little and placed a sweet gentle kiss on her hand. She thought for a moment there that she would faint but there she was still standing. He looked up at her and she had a clear sight of her beautiful mismatched eyes. He stood up but still held onto her hand.

"It's been so long, Your Highness." Ravus stated.

"I am delighted to see you again, Your Highness." She smiled at his softly and the sight of her smile was something so beautiful to him. "But I would like you to call me Bella."

"If only you will call me Ravus." Bella glanced down coyly then nodded.

"Please, sit down." She sat down and he sat across from her. "Shall we begin, Bella?"


	2. Chapter 2: Unexpected surprises

**Final Fantasy XV: Warrior of Lucis**

 **Chapter 2: Unexpected surprises**

"So Bella, tell me a bit about yourself." Ravus asked. They had just finished having their lunch. They both ordered the chef's special which was roasted sirloin beef, roasted potatoes, glazed carrots and Yorkshire Pudding with some white wine. The Prince and Princess were currently eating apple tarte Tatin with crème fraiche and lavender tea.

"Well, my hobbies are collecting and reading books. I love playing the violin and collecting and tending to my flowers." She answered and his eyebrows rose.

"Oh? What kind of books do you enjoy reading?" Bella looked up at him; she didn't expect him to be so interested in her hobbies.

"Well my favourite books to read would be non-fictional and informative books as well as novels. I like any genre." She stated.

"You're quite knowledgeable, aren't you?" She chuckled lightly at this whilst pulling some hair behind her ear.

"I guess I am. As a Princess I stay within the Citadel most of the time. So I entertain myself by learning new things through books as well tending to my flower garden within Palace limits. I've always wanted to go outside the wall and travel the world." She said to herself and realised what she had revealed. Her heart stopped and she looked at Ravus who was still staring at her curiously.

"It must be difficult being limited to one place." Ravus stated.

"Insomnia may be a large city but it's a small part of something so much bigger." She replied.

"Once we are married, I can take you to wherever you want." Her eyelashes fluttered as her cheeks turned a faint red.

"R-really?" Bella stuttered not believing what he said.

"You will be my wife and my future wife deserves to see the world." She saw a very small yet sweet smile on her future fiancé's face. It was the first time Bella saw a smile from him and she thought it was absolutely beautiful. She heard rumours about Ravus being someone who doesn't smile nor laugh out of happiness. But today she was blessed to see him smile and it was because of her. The young woman kept staring at the man as if he was a muse. Though embarrassing and slightly bizarre, she couldn't keep her eyes off the Prince. "Which place have you always wanted to visit?"

"The Rock of Ravatogh." She answered.

"Your birthplace?" Ravus asked and the dark haired woman nodded. "I've heard a lot about it."

"I don't know why but since I was a little girl I've been drawn to it. There is something there that is calling to me." She stared at the candle the fire flickering. The Prince noticed this and looked up at her.

"Are you sure it is not connected to the Infernian?" He asked. "According to legend his body lies deep within the volcano. Could it be that you must seek for his blessing?" She shook her head.

"It is not Ifrit. In my dreams I die and am reborn through fire." She stated. "Another thing not many know about is that I'm…fireproof."

"What do you mean?" Ravus asked confused.

"Look," The young woman placed her hand above a candle and when she lowered her hand into the flame, he couldn't believe his eyes when he saw her hold the flame in her hand without being affected by it. "Fire does not burn me." She pulled her hand away from the fire and rested it on her lap.

"That is very…" Her eyebrows furrowed together as her gaze lowered. Being fireproof would be a wonder to people but people would think it was…odd in a bad way. Prompto and Noctis would always comment about how weird it was that fire cannot affect her and how weird she was because of it. The one thing she loved about herself and made her different compared to others was… _weird_. If Gladio had known, he surely would have thought she was weird too.

"Weird…" She murmured with pain dripping from the word. His eyebrows furrowed together as he shook his head.

"Intriguing, it must be a blessing from the Six." Her eyes widened slightly and her cheeks turned pink. She looked up at him and was shocked at his comment.

"Thank you." She smiled sweetly at him as her eyes stung with tears.

The Princess of Lucis being fireproof reminded the Prince of Tenebrae of his late mother, who stood in front of the fire to protect him the day Tenebrae fell before being stabbed. It was a memory he wished he could forget, but it haunted him forever and fuelled his thirst for revenge. His eyebrows furrowed together and he gripped onto his fist with anger. He cannot be bewitched by the daughter of the man who refused to save them from the Empire.

But when he looked at her again, he saw her smile. It was soft, gentle, genuine and loving, just like his mother's and he knew it would be wrong to treat her unfairly. She was only an innocent 6 year old when Tenebrae fell and if he remembered correctly, she was begging her father to save them. No…she was nothing like her father who only cared for his son or her brother who was unfit to rule.

"Bella…" His tone of voice sounded serious and he moved his hand towards hers. He had to ask her about the crystal and the ring of Lucii, it's what the Emperor wanted from this date; information. She glanced at his hand then looked up at him. "May I ask you something?"

"What is it, Ravus?" She asked curiously with that smile still plastered on her face.

That smile of hers was irresistible and just…perfect. It was a smile that made him giddy and his heart would swell from being blessed by it. Deep within the depths of his stone like personality, he wanted to protect that smile. Her smile warmed his cold frozen heart. He decided against asking her about the crystal. He doubted she knew anything about it, let alone the location of it. This drove him to asking her something **he** wanted to know.

"Please answer this truthfully." His hand touched hers and her heart started beating faster. "Do not be afraid. I simply want to know, do you accept us getting married?" She gulped and felt dizzy and nervous from this question. The answer would be both no and yes. No because she was in love with someone else and hated the fact that this was arranged since she was a child. Yes because she understood the importance of this alliance and knew she could be ready for it.

"Growing up I wasn't okay with it. But then I began to understand that this is my duty and I must do whatever I can for the benefit of the Kingdom." If Maria heard this she would have been overjoyed. He sighed as his eyebrows lowered.

"It is not about duty or the benefit of Lucis. This is your life and future and you have a say." He stated. "It has been 12 years since we last saw each other and we barely know one another. So it is perfectly alright if you do not want to do this, you can call this off. You can call someone from the Palace to pick you up."

It was clear that he felt dejected for assuming that she didn't wish to marry him. Bella could see it clearly on his face, the way he looked down, his gaze away from hers.

The young woman placed her hand on top of his and held it gently. Her soft touch felt nice as her warm hand held his cold palm. He looked up at her again and was met with that smile and those laughing green eyes.

"I want to go through with this. Because I know that it is possible for me to fall in love with you after we get married." She stated. "You're a good person, Ravus. I don't care if you're a Commander of the Empire or the Prince of Tenebrae. You have been nothing but kind towards me even after what my father did…But I want you to know, I am not him and neither am I anything like Noctis. I am Bella Lucis Caelum and I promise you I will try my best to make you happy."

His mismatched eyes widened and he was taken aback from what she said. He felt his heart beating faster than when he first laid eyes on her and blood gushed to his cheeks which turned a faint pink. He reached into his pocket and took out a purple velvet ring box. He got off his chair and onto one knee.

As Bella watched Ravus get onto one knee, she couldn't help but feel saddened. She had always wanted Gladio to be the one in this position. Her dream, apart from being Queen, was to marry the man she loved, rule, have his children and live happily ever after with him. But life wasn't a fairy tale, hers especially. Her heart was breaking apart and she felt like someone was strangling her to death. A tear fell down her cheek as her bottom lip quivered like a child about to cry.

"Each tear hurts me…" He placed his cold hand onto her face, cupping her jaw and wiping the tear with his thumb. He opened the ring box to reveal a beautiful 9ct white gold 1/2ct diamond round halo ring with a single blue sapphire in the middle.

"It's beautiful. Are you sure you want to give this to me now? Our engagement is tomorrow evening." She said looking at him.

"I want to give you this ring now. Also…it belonged to my mother." The Princess gasped at this.

"Ravus I cannot accept this, it holds so much sentimental value to you." She shook her head but he held her hand.

"You are worthy to have this ring. My mother would have wanted you to have this. Giving her ring to you is a way of honouring her memory. So please, accept it."

The young man inserted the ring onto her ring finger with his smile not faltering for a moment. Bella also had a smile on her face but this was just a mask covering her true emotions. He took her hand in his and kissed the back of her hand softly. His lips were soft and warm…it felt nice.

Suddenly Bella's phone vibrated and made a sound. She picked her phone and saw a text message from Cor.

Cor

 _I'm outside the restaurant. You should be done by now. There is something your father wants to talk to you about. Don't worry, it's nothing bad but it is of vital importance._

Her eyebrows furrowed together as this peaked her curiosity. Something extremely important? This was odd because her father wouldn't pass such important messages through Cor. She knew that this had to be very serious and she had to return to the Citadel at once.

"Ravus, please forgive me but I think it's time I should go back to the Citadel." He knew that something had happened for her to say that because she looked quite tense.

"Is there something wrong?" Ravus asked curiously.

"Nothing has happened but, I must see my father. He wishes to discuss something important with me." Bella answered as she stood up grabbing her bag from the table.

"I will escort you outside, is there anyone receiving you?" She smiled at him kindly.

"Yes there is." He nodded in response and they left the Restaurant.

Ravus and Bella entered the elevator shortly after thanking the Restaurant Manager for the meal. They both stood in the elevator silently until the Prince took out something from his pocket. She turned to him and her eyes sparkled; in his hand was a sylleblossom; a flower native to Tenebrae.

"I thought you would like one." The Princess took the flower with a gleam which lit up her face.

"Oh thank you!" The young woman without thinking wrapped her arms around his arm and embraced it. He jumped a little at this; the last time he was embraced like this was when he was about 16-17 when he and his sister mourned for their mother's death. But this felt nice for once, the short young woman had this warmth to her like no other, maybe it was connected to her being fireproof?

The young Princess realised what she had done and pulled away immediately. She gulped nervously and bowed her head in forgiveness. "Forgive, I acted without thinking." He sighed and shook his head whilst placing his hand on her hand gently.

"Bella…" Her head lifted and there she saw a considerate glint in his grey eyes. "Acting on your own is alright, don't worry. There is no need to apologise." She nodded slowly whilst smiling shyly. A stand of her hair fell into her face as the elevator came to a stop. The Prince slowly brushed it away from her face and placed his hand on her cheek. Bella couldn't look away from his eyes which were as clear as day. Ravus noticed that she had her father's eyes and hair colour, but her beauty was entirely her own. "I must have been blessed by the Six to have such a beautiful bride as yourself." The man wasn't meant to say this out loud and regretted in doing so. Her cheeks turned a bright red and she blushed whilst fiddling with a strand of her hair.

The elevator doors finally opened after what felt like a lifetime and when it did, they saw various flashes; it was the Paparazzi. There were about a good 30 of them swarming around the elevator doors. Ravus annoyed by this stepped in front of his future bride with an arm around her shoulder and his body protecting her as he led her through the reception. But she kept her green orbs on him, blushing even more than she did before, but there was a gentle smile on her face; he was protecting her from the Paparazzi.

They managed to get outside of the building with the security blocking the photographers from the couple. The sky was grey and they saw lightning before the rumble of thunder came after. Bella gulped at this and shivered a little as she hid behind Ravus. He noticed this and looked down at her. He examined her body language, her eyes widened, eyebrows raised and furrowed and she was biting her lip. Instead of a perfect posture, her body was hunched and she was fiddling with the fabric of her shirt. It was obvious to him that she was afraid. Her body language mirrored that of Lunafreya whenever she was around Caligo Ulldor. So he knew that she was afraid.

"You're afraid." He stated and she looked up at him with her sparkling eyes. "Of thunder. It will not harm you." The young man placed his hand on her back and smiled at her.

"Bella." She heard Cor's voice as he got out of one of the car's that was parked outside. Ravus's eyes furrowed together as he glared at the Marshall and Cor did the same. Bella looked at them both and gulped whilst walking towards the older man.

"I look forward to seeing you tomorrow, Ravus." She said as she pulled Cor away from her fiancé.

They both got into the car and her father figure drove away quite quickly. He still had that stern look in his cold eyes as they were focused on the road. The sky opened up and it began to rain heavily. The young Princess felt suffocated in that car with awkwardness as kept fiddling with the bottom of her shirt.

"Did he do anything inappropriate to you?" He growled.

"No." She answered in a squeak, clearly intimidated by him.

"Did he ask you anything inappropriate or fishy?" The car came to a stop when they got into traffic and he turned to her.

"He only asked me if I truly wanted to get married, as well as general questions about me." She answered honestly and he eased up a little.

"Just be careful about what you say to him. Especially about the Ring of Lucii or the location of the Crystal." She nodded at this; she knew everything about the Ring and the Crystal.

They got out of traffic and finally got to the Citadel. Cor opened an umbrella and they both walked into the Building. They took a lift up to the main Meeting Room where her father, the King would carry out most of his meetings with the Council.

The King was sat on the opposite side of the table and for some reason Clarus was beside him, then Cor sat on the left side of the King. They both smiled at the Princess, the King's smile being warm and bright like the sun and his bodyguard's smile was loving as if she was Iris.

The King's Shield had complete respect for the young woman who sat down. He never once saw her as a Princess but rather the child of his best friend. He treated her with love just like he treated Iris and that's what the Princess adored about him. Rather than being careful about who she is, he treated her as she was; a human being.

"How was it?" Regis asked curiously.

"Better than expected, father." Bella answered and he nodded at this. He didn't want to marry his daughter this early but it was something Sylva would have wanted. "May I ask why I've been summoned so urgently?"

King Regis glanced from Cor to Clarus and they both nodded in approval then the dark haired man looked at his daughter. "There is something you must know. I should have told you and your brother about this sooner, but my heart could not muster the courage to do so."

His voice croaked at the last sentence and this tugged at the Princess's heart strings. She could see his green eyes sparkle with tears and his bottom lip quivered a little. The strongest man through her eyes, was breaking and crumbling right in front of her. She leaned forward and took his hands within hers. Her hands were always so warm and comforting. He looked at her with a painful gaze within his eyes; he was in so much pain.

"Dad…take this slow." She murmured. "If you do not have the strength to tell me, it is alright. Please don't strain your heart like this."

"No, my Princess. I must have the strength to tell you this. You deserve to know." He cleared his throat and inhaled. "Bella, I once had a twin sister named Cassia Lucis Caelum. She was younger than me by 2 minutes and we were as close as you are with your brother." Her eyebrows rose and furrowed at such a revelation. There must have been a good reason no one spoke of this. But now she understood who the woman in the family portraits were, she would stand beside her Grandfather Mors Lucis Caelum. Whenever Bella would ask who it was, her question would go unanswered. "She was promised to Clarus before we set out through Eos. Cassie was meant to marry as soon as we returned to Insomnia…" Bella turned to Clarus who looked down; this had to be the first time he looked so hurt and heartbroken; he must have truly loved her. He and her father had tears falling down their cheeks.

"She…perished sacrificing her life to protect your father from daemons." Cor ended the story in one sentence and Bella felt like she was being choked. A tear fell down her cheek as she turned to her father whilst holding his hands tight. He had to live 20 years of his life in guilt, he had to tell his father about what happened to his daughter, he had mourn for his sister and watch his best friend mourn for his lover and he had no one but himself to blame.

"She loved you endlessly." Bella stated. "It was her decision to do so, as a sister who loves her brother, it's only normal. I know you've blamed yourself for her death for the past 20 years. But just know that it was not your fault, please Dad." She begged and wrapped her arms around his neck. The King buried his face into his daughter's shoulder and sobbed letting it all out. She patted his back, hushing him like a mother. "You are the strongest man I will ever know. You will always be." He pulled away from her and saw that radiant smile of hers which would always brighten up his days, no matter how dark and woeful. Bella placed her hands on his face and wiped his tears with her thumbs.

"You always know the right words, my sweet girl." He murmured and she nodded.

"Come on Father, come on Mr Amicitia. I know what will cheer you both up." Her grin was as bright as the summer sunrise in the east. "Some homemade Lavender Tea with Lemon and Poppy seed Cake."

"Am I not invited little Princess?" Cor asked feigning woe and she smiled brightly at him too.

"You're always invited for tea, Cor!" They all got up and led them out of the Meeting Room.

"Your daughter is truly a blessing, Regis." Clarus smiled as he watched her link arms with the Marshall. "Little girls make the world sweeter."

"She is the most precious gift the Six have given me. But I fear for her future." Regis saw that bright smile and his heart ached. "I fear that bright smile of hers will someday disappear. Is she truly safe here?"

"Of course she is, Regis. The Walls will protect us. And if anything happens…I'll put my life on the line so that she lives." His friend looked at him worriedly.

"Clarus, you have a little girl, younger than mine. You must think of her too." The King stated.

"If something happens to Bella and I survived, both Gladio and Iris would resent me for not saving her. Besides, I am the King's protected shield. But it's my decision to protect the Princess too."

"Thank you, old friend." Regis smiled. "Clarus…you're still not upset about the arrangement between Bella and the Prince of Tenebrae?"

"Although I truly would have wanted our houses to be one like as proposed between Cassia and I…I cannot put that pressure on my son. It was different back then. I loved your sister since I was a little boy. But Gladio and Bella…they didn't grow up so closely together." Clarus explained.

"If I had one regret in life, it'd be allowing Bella to have the same upbringing as Noctis. Maybe then she wouldn't be so insecure, maybe then she would have been happier." The bald man noticed the low woeful tone in his friend's voice. He placed his hand on his shoulder and smiled warmly.

"You were just trying to protect her and it's only natural for fathers to do whatever they can in order for their children to be safe. Your little girl finds pleasure and happiness in her own things and she looks joyful doing whatever she loves even if it doesn't involve other people. He made a good point. "Besides, Bella won't hold that against you. She's not the type of girl to keep grudges or resentment for her own father. You raised her better than that."

Regis nodded at this as he sighed and walked slowly beside his childhood friend. He stared at his daughter with teary eyes as he gripped onto his walking staff. Regardless of what Clarus had said to him, something stirred inside him; something he couldn't shake off. He felt like he was making a big mistake, this peace treaty signing, keeping Bella by his side. Maybe he should have sent Bella along with his son. But maybe this was all just paranoia, maybe it was nothing. He closed his wise old green eyes and said to himself.

"Oh the Six, protect my daughter should any harm befall her."


	3. Chapter 3: A father and daughter's love

**Warrior of Lucis**

 **Chapter 3: A father and daughter's love**

When the Princess stood in front of the mirror wearing her Engagement dress, she knew that it was too late to turn back now. She stared at herself in the mirror and she knew the reflection was someone she grew up to become; a beautiful Princess marrying her Prince.

Her hair was done in a half up half down lace rose hairstyle with baby's breath flowers in her hair, with her bangs framing her face. On top of her head was a golden horn like crown which belonged to her mother the day she got engaged to the man she loved. Her makeup was simple, foundation to make her look distinguished, concealer to hide her puffy eye bags from crying the night before, mascara to make her sharp eyes look shaper, an extremely faint red blusher to give colour to her face and maroon matt lipstick to bring out her green eyes. Around her neck was a vintage yet simple golden flower choker with matching earrings. On her body was a dress, an engagement gift from the Emperor of Niflheim himself, which was made in Gralea by the finest of designers. It was a black long sleeved two piece dress, the top half of the dress starting from a boat neckline up to her waist was covered with detailed lace with pure golden edges. From the waist down was an A-line black plain skirt with a sweep train at the back. On her feet was a gift from Ravus himself, a pair of black velvet fairy tale pumps with a golden filigree heel made of real gold.

The young woman heard a knock on the door and turned to it. "Come in." The door opened and in came her father. He closed the door carefully behind him and then when he turned to see his daughter, his felt his heart stop beating and his eyes were filled with tears. He gulped and had the most loving and beautiful smile on his face she had ever seen. It was the same smile he had when she first called him 'dada'. It was the same smile he had when she took her first steps. It was a proud and radiant smile like no other. But on her face was something she had perfected; a mask of a fake smile, just to make him happy.

"Bella…you look…" He walked towards her slowly but instead she walked briskly towards him. The King took her hands in his and sighed. "…beyond words."

"Thank you, Dad." She mumbled.

"If you're mother was here to see you now…" His voice croaked a little and she held his hands. "My little girl is going to get engaged. You're not my little girl anymore." She led him to the bed and they both sat side by side. He took out something from his pocket. He opened the box to show her a ring, a black ring which had a circular design which looked like a drive wheel on a spinning wheel with what looked like someone holding the crystal. The crystal itself was something no one had ever seen. It was a bright blue stone similar to a geode with a large crack in it that exposed the crystalized sparkling core which always glowed. "Your mother wanted to give this to you the day you found a man who will love you."

"This was mother's ring…" She whispered and her eyes stung with tears.

The ring held so much importance to Regis, it was his most valued object. When he and his dearest Aulea went on their first date in Duscae, an asteroid from the starry heaven's fell and they found a small but beautiful crystal. Prince Regis, 18 at the time, took the crystal, got it made into ring and gave it to his dearest Aulea on her 18th birthday whilst confessing his love for her.

"And now it belongs to you." He placed the ring on her right middle finger and it was the perfect fit.

"Dad, thank you." It meant the world that he gave her this; now there was something she could wear to honour her mother's memory.

But the mood of the moment completely changed, her father held onto her right hand tightly and within his eyes was a serious glare. There was something wrong, she knew it. Her smile dropped and eyes widened with curiosity and worry.

"I think I may be paranoid but I want you to hang onto these." He took out something else from his inner blazer pockets; they were a pair of 12 inch sharp silver daggers with golden handles. He also took out some sheath harnesses. "Keep these on your legs under your dress so no one can see and be offended."

"Father…" He didn't let her finish.

"Please Bella, just in case you are in danger if something happens." She understood this and lifted her dress up. The young woman wrapped the sheath harnesses around both her thighs and placed the daggers into their sheaths.

"If they think of harming a single hair on your head or anything, I will not stand back and watch." She stated with determination but he shook his head.

"No, daughter of mine. If something goes wrong, I want you to stay with Cor or Clarus. If you cannot find them, run away. Leave the city, there's an underground passageway leading out of Insomnia. There are no daemons down there so it should be alright, all Kingsglaive and Crownsguard know this passageway. Once you're out of there run towards Hammerhead and find your brother. Promise me." Her eyes sparkled with tears and she nodded. "No matter what happens, you must stay strong. You are of the Lucis Caelum bloodline, you are my daughter which means strength runs through your veins. Now we must leave at once."

Regis and his daughter stood up and the bedroom door opened up for them. The dark haired woman straightened out her skirt and wrapped her arm around his arm, helping him walk. They both walked through the main corridor and met up with both Cor and Clarus at the end of it. They were both dressed in their usual clothes, nothing special. But both men were absolutely taken aback by the young Princess. Clarus's eyebrows rose and Cor just smiled proud of his cub.

"Cor, take a picture of Bella and me on her phone so she can send it to Noctis." Regis suggested and the Princess took out her phone from her black clutch bag. She gave it to Cor and he took a picture of them both as well as one with just herself. He gave the phone back to her and she sent those two pictures to her brother. They took the elevator up to the roof of the Citadel where the celebrations were being held.

It was the first time she was meeting people from Niflheim as well as the rest of the Kingsglaive. She had only met Nyx occasionally and Titus twice. Nervous and worried was the least she felt. She was not a people person to those she had never met so her heart was pounding like a drum in her chest. Her breathing was heavy and the trio of men could tell she wasn't comfortable.

"Breathe slowly, everything will be alright." Cor stated and she nodded.

"If anyone lays a finger on you or makes you feel uncomfortable come to me or Cor." Clarus added.

"You are strong. The three of us know this just as you do." Regis reminded her.

"Yes, father." Bella replied quietly.

The doors opened and all the people invited to the festivities turned around. Many of their eyes fell on the Princess who stood there awkwardly. Throughout the day she was deciding what she would do when she was faced with all these people. She had come to a conclusion that she would place her hand on her chest and bow down in a respectful manner, thanking them for attending such a joyous occasion. But here she was, frozen like the great corpse of Shiva, unable to move and so scared to breathe. Those eyes staring at her as if piercing into her very body. However, all it took was a reassuring hand of Cor's on her shoulder and it was as if she was alright again. The four of them got out of the elevator and everyone continued to stare. Bella placed her hand on her chest and she could feel her heart beating so fast. She lowered her head down with her hair falling down her shoulders gracefully. She didn't say a word but everyone else decided to bow down respectfully to her and her father. They all continued doing whatever they did before the King and Princess had arrived and the young woman stood up straight. She turned to her father and smiled at him. Her father may have been proud of his daughter's very existence, but he knew his daughter wouldn't do well under so much pressure if he had just announced her arrival.

Bella had let go of her father's arm when he had to go meet the Emperor of Niflheim with Clarus. Cor had other business to attend to but before he left, he asked the Princess if she would be alright on her own. She said she would and he had gone downstairs. As she walked by herself, she couldn't help but notice someone with familiar traits. The dark haired woman turned to another who was dressed in a white and silver gown. Her hair was blond and long tied up in a ponytail with a double braid across the crown of her head. The Princess approached the young woman and tilted her head to the side.

"Lady…Lunafreya?" The woman turned around and she was met with a pair of crystal blue eyes. The younger woman's eyes widened and her eyebrows rose.

"Princess Bellatrix." She did a curtsey and so did the Princess. "It has been so long since I have seen you last. You look absolutely stunning. You've grown into a beautiful young woman." Bella stood up and her cheeks turned pink as she flustered.

"Lunafreya, you looks just as beautiful if not more." She replied. "My brother is an extremely lucky man." The Oracle blushed at the mention of her betrothed. The 18 year old couldn't help but giggle.

"Just call me Luna." She stated.

"Only if you call me Bella." The Princess of Lucis demanded.

"I must say, the city of Insomnia looks exquisite." She stated as they both stared at the fireworks.

"I cannot wait to see Tenebrae…" She murmured.

"You have met Ravus, haven't you?" Luna asked and Bella nodded. "How did that go? I hope he did not say anything which offended you."

"No, it went along smoothly. Your brother is a lovely person." The Oracle nodded at this.

"I'm glad. I do hope he makes you happy." It pained her to hear that but she nodded in agreement burying her sour feelings.

"I'm certain my brother will make you happy too. He is a good person, really." She smiled as her eyes sparkled. The blonde haired woman could see how much adoration and admiration the Princess had when she mentioned her brother; she truly loved her brother.

"You must really miss your brother, Bella." Luna stated and Bellatrix's eyes lowered and she nodded.

"I miss him incredibly and wish he was here tonight. It's only natural that we sisters worry for our brothers, no?" She asked.

"I worry for Ravus every day. I cannot say I am truly comfortable with him working alongside the Empire." She accidentally slipped her inner thoughts out.

"Luna…" Bella held the Oracle's hands and smiled. "Have trust in Ravus. He must be in the position he is in order to keep you safe. As they say, the eye of the hurricane is always the calmest."

"I sure hope you are right, Bella." She stated.

"Your Highness…" The young woman turned to see a young man with slicked back brown hair and blue eyes; he was wearing a black uniform like the other Glaives. "The King wishes to see you and introduce you to the Emperor."

"Very well." She stated and the young woman turned to her childhood friend. "Luna, I hope to see you in Altissia. I pray your journey there will go safely and smoothly." She stated.

"Thank you, Bella." Lunafreya smiled and the Princess began following the young man.

"My name is Luche Lazarus, might I say you look beautiful this evening." He stated and she smiled at him.

"It's nice to meet you, Luche and thank you." She replied and he stopped walking.

"Where are my manners? You must be thirsty, have a drink." The young man took a glass of champagne from one of the walking servers.

"Your Highness." She heard a familiar voice and turned to see Titus walking towards her. She smiled at him and he bowed respectfully. "Congratulations on the Engagement, Princess."

"Thank you Captain Drautos. And I am incredibly grateful that you can attend this event." Bella stated.

"We were asked by the King. But we are all happy to be here for both the peace treaty signing and your engagement to Prince Ravus." He replied and he looked at Luche.

"Please drink your champagne, Princess. Here" The young man gave her the glass.

When Bella looked down at the alcoholic beverage, she could see it fizzing and bubbling up; that was normal with champagne. But another thing she noticed was the minuscule pieces of what appeared to look like a white tablet. She remained calm about this, not showing any sign of her looking suspicious at all. Instead she looked up with one of her signature fake smiles at Luche.

"I'd like to go see my father now." She said and as she was about to leave, he got into the way.

"And I would like to see you drink that." Luche replied and her eyebrows knotted with frustration.

"It's rude to keep the Emperor and the King waiting. We should proceed." She exhorted.

"I insist you drink the champagne. It's got a little _kick_ to it." Drautos added and she looked up at his with a doubting glare.

"Is there a problem?" They heard a voice and turned to Nyx; the young woman exhaled through her nose with relief; thank the Six.

"I'd just like to be escorted to my father, Nyx." She stated and he nodded.

"I'll walk you to him. C'mon." Luche stepped aside and Nyx led the way. But before she left, the young woman pushed the glass of champagne towards the man who gave it to her. It fell down his clothes and the glass fell on the ground and she walked away. The younger man swore under his breath.

"She'll get what's coming to her." Drautos whispered audible for only Luche to hear.

"You certainly look lovely tonight, what's the occasion?" The 32 year old joked and she giggled.

"Thank you, Nyx. Might I say you look incredibly dashing in your uniform." She complimented him and he smiled.

"I wear this all the time; nothing different." He said.

"Well you're dashing in it all the time then." She grinned and he blushed at the compliment. He looked up and stopped walking. She stopped too and he smirked.

"Your Prince Charming looks more dashing." She turned to the direction he was staring at.

Her eyes widened and sparkled as her cheeks turned red. Her heart was beating faster as she gulped flustered. It was Ravus, he looked incredibly handsome in his white and black outfit; she couldn't believe that he was her fiancé. The man next to her noticed her staring at her soon to be groom and nudged her lightly. She snapped out of daze and cleared her throat.

"Daydreaming, huh?" He crossed his arms.

"Don't, don't be ridiculous!" She stammered nervously. "Anyway, thanks for getting me away from those two. I'll make my own way."

"Go get him tiger." He waved then walked away after patting her head. She pouted at this and sighed.

"Calm down Bella." She thought in her head. "Now just go up to him. You can do that right? Move your feet, start walking. You're a Queen." The Princess nodded and started walking towards Ravus.

The Prince noticed someone walking up to him from the corner of his eye and he turned to her person. There he saw his future bride walk towards him. He gulped as he clenched and unclenched his hands. His pale cheeks reddened from being flustered to see how beautiful she looked tonight. When their gazes met, her eyes glimmered like stars and she smiled sweetly at him.

"Bella…" His voice was a bit uneven and he cleared his throat.

"Ravus…you look so incredibly handsome tonight." Bella managed to compliment him first.

"You're…you look…" She blushed and nodded.

"Thank you." The Princess stated and he took her hand. The man kissed it ever so softly and held it. "I was just on my way to see my father and the Emperor. Please join me." If this was any other person, he would say no. But the way her tone of voice heightened at her request, he couldn't say no. He just nodded in response and she held onto his hand as they began walking.

As they were walking, he noticed something was on her mind. She was quiet and her smile slowly but surely disappeared from her face which made his worry. "There is something on your mind, isn't there?" He asked.

"Luzarus added a sedative in my drink without me looking." She stated and his eyebrows furrowed together with anger; why would someone from the Kingsglaive do that. "They wouldn't let me leave without drinking. Drautos too. Thankfully another member of the Kingsglaive, Nyx escorted me away from them." She said. "I feel unsafe at the moment."

"I will protect you from any harm." She turned to him and he looked at her.

"I will protect you too, Ravus." She smiled at him and his right eyebrow rose with curiosity.

"Will you now?" She smirked and nodded.

"I may not look it, but I'm stronger than you think." Bella winked at him and they finally approached the King and Emperor.

Iedolas turned to the couple and smiled when he saw the Princess. Bella bowed down respectfully and stood up whilst looking at the Emperor. She was also very suspicious of the older man but nonetheless respectful towards him.

"Greeting, Your Majesty. Welcome to Insomnia. I am humbled that you've made such a long trip here." She stated.

"Regis, such a respectful young Princess. I am impressed." He stated

Iedolas took her hand. She jumped a little and gulped as he lowered his head. She glanced at Regis who nodded and she looked down at the Emperor. He kissed her hand, keeping his cold dry lips on the back of her soft hand, and she unconsciously gripped onto Ravus's hand. Hers was shaking with fear and he noticed this. He looked at her face to see her jaw clenching; she looked completely uncomfortable. Something in him snapped as he swiftly pulled her back a little and her hand was pulled from the Emperor's grasp. Both Regis and Bella were surprised at this overprotectiveness but the King was impressed. The Emperor stood up and smirked when he saw Ravus wrap his arm around her.

"The young Prince is very protective of his Princess I see." He commented. "Might I say, you look amazing in that dress of yours."

"I cannot express my gratitude through words." She murmured.

"Regis, your daughter is truly a wonder. A gem of Lucis…" He stared at her and she felt so anxious. "Well soon she will no longer be. Future Queen of Tenebrae. The Prince and Princess are a match made only by the Six. She will soon be Ravus's Queen."

Bella knew this would hurt her father and she was certain the Emperor knew this. Her father lowered his sorrowful gaze and this broke her heart. She felt her eyes stung with tears when she saw a single tear trickle down her father's face. She looked at the Emperor with a smug smile.

"I will be Ravus's Queen, but I am a Princess not just because of my bloodline but because my father is the King of Kings. I will always be his little Princess, no matter how old I get. I will remain his Princess and the Princess of Lucis till the end of my days and even after." Bella stated with a bright smile and Regis looked at her proudly.

"That's my girl." The King sighed with a bright giddy smile on his face. "Bella, let us go inside. I believe we should commence the signing."

"Yes, father." She let go of Ravus's hand and joined her father's side. The young Princess held his hand and they both walked towards the elevator. "Don't listen to his words, know that I love you, endlessly."

"And I love you, forever and always." He placed a kiss on her forehead and the doors closed.

"There is something I must tell you. Before I came to see you, Luche Lazarus offered me a drink but I noticed that he had added a sedative to it. He and Drautos tried to get in the way of me leaving them. Something is really fishy." Bella said.

"Something wrong is going to happen. I can feel it in my heart." Regis placed his hands on his daughter's shoulders and looked at her. "Leave at once. Cor must be downstairs. Go to him, now."

"I can't leave you father!" She cried her eyes glistening with tears.

"Please, little Princess. It'll guarantee your safety." He urged her but she shook her head refusing to even think that.

"And what of yours?" She asked with a tear falling down her cheek.

"I am an old man, the Ring of Lucii is draining my life by the day…" Bella shook her head and gripped onto his hands.

"Don't say that. Don't you dare." The Princess sputtered. He wrapped his arms around her and held onto her tight.

"My darling, I love you. A father's love is unconditional." He whispered and she pulled away so she could look up at him.

"And a daughter's love is forever." She replied with a smile. "The safest I will ever feel is standing by your side. So please…" Her voice squeaked and he could not say no to his crying daughter.

He took her hands, which looked so small even when he first held them 18 years ago, and held them carefully. The woman who stood in front of him was his little daughter, the light within his eyes, the pride of the Lucis Caelum bloodline, his most treasured possession. And though he felt that tonight would be his last night on this twisted yet beautiful world, he wanted to cherish every moment of it, with her.


	4. Chapter 4: Death

**Warrior of Lucis**

 **Chapter 4: Death**

The time of signing the peace treaty had come. Many council officials from both sides were present except for the Chancellor of the Empire and Cor was still downstairs. Luna and Nyx were also present there too. Bellatrix stood beside her father and Commander Glauca towered beside the Emperor. As the dark haired woman stared at him, he peered at her back his breathing sounding so intimidating through his helmet.

The King had already signed the piece of paper that was on the table. All that was left was for the Emperor to add his signature. He refused to take a pen from the King and said he wanted to write it with his own. Of course the Princess found this suspicious and placed her hand on her father's arm.

When Iedolas pulled out what looked like a gun and the Princess pushed her father out of the way. But Bella felt cold metal against her forehead and realised that it was in fact her who would be at gunpoint.

"Iedolas, you snake." Regis muttered as all the soldiers and officials from Lucis summoned their weapons, but so did those from the Empire.

"You really think I would want peace with Lucian scum like all of you?" The dark haired woman grinded her teeth together as she remained calm at gunpoint.

"One more foul word about Lucis out of you and I will cut your head off and parade it around the streets of Gralea." Whatever came out of her mouth was pure anger and the others were shocked such a thing was said by her.

"Brave of you to say such a thing when your life hangs in the balance. I could end it in one second." The Emperor stated with a sick smirk on his face.

"You said you wouldn't hurt her!" Ravus exclaimed.

"The Emperor doesn't take orders from you, boy." The Brigadier General, Caligo Ulldor commented.

"I am not afraid." She growled whilst glaring at the man holding the gun at her.

He swung the gun into her stomach with the hard grip making contact with her body. She shrieked from the pain and she was pushed towards Caligo who wrapped an arm around her stomach and held his against her neck.

"Let my daughter go, now!" The King commanded.

"Instead of commanding you should be begging." The Emperor said. "But I have a bargain to propose. We will let your daughter free only if you hand over the Ring of Lucii."

"Father no! Don't give him the ring!" She exclaimed.

"Keep your pretty mouth shut, girl."

Caligo placed his sword up onto her right cheek. He cut her cheek and she shrieked with pain tears falling down her cheek. What made it more painful was the tear making contact with the fresh cut. Watching Bella get hurt made both Regis and Ravus angry. But she was one step ahead; she knew that there was less of a grip on her. She elbowed the General hard in the guts and he took a step back. The Princess high kicked him in the face and as her foot left the ground and extended up, she swiftly took out the dagger from her sheath harness around her thigh. She slashed him in the face with a cut from his left cheek all the way down to the right side of his jaw. He screamed with pain and made a run for it. But just as she was about to reach her father, she felt a cold metal hand wrap around her neck which lifted her up. When this happened, the Lucian soldiers and officials had attacked. They were all fighting with Nyx defending Luna from being kidnapped again. Clarus had engaged in battle with the Emperor so that he wouldn't attack the King.

Glauca was holding her up, his hand being so big that it only took one to be wrapped all the way around her neck. The King and Prince's eyes widened and they both felt their hearts beating faster with fear. He slowly tightened his grip around her throat making it hard for her breathe.

"Give me the ring, you fool. Your daughter's is in danger, is her life not worth anything to you?!" Ravus growled.

"You don't understand, you're not worthy of the ring!" The Prince grinded his teeth together.

"Ravus...if you put that ring on it'll...ah!" Glauca was squeezing tighter. "It could kill you."

Then realisation hit her in the face. She was still gripping onto that dagger her father gave her and she threw it. The Princess warped to its location but instead of her silhouette being blue like her brother's it was a bright red. Bella fell onto her knees in front of her father catching her breath, breathing so heavily. Her father placed his hand on her shoulder. Ravus standing in front of them.

"You will not harm her!" Regis looked up at the young man and understood; Ravus loved Bella without even knowing it.

But he was pushed away. Bella hearing him shriek turned around and glared up at the man in armour.

"How dare you lay a finger on him?!" She yelled and he was walking towards them. She picked up her father's sword and held it up with determination in her eyes. "Lay a finger on my father and I'll make you regret the day you were born!" He then began running and then she saw Clarus stand in front of her his greatsword clashing with Glauca's own.

"Go now!" He yelled. "Bella, take your father and leave!"

"What about you?" She asked stubbornly.

"I'm the King's Shield. Leave at once." She didn't want to...but he was urging her to do so. Bella turned to her father and got onto one knee.

"You okay to walk?" She asked and Regis glanced at his best friend.

"I can't leave without him. I need to help him." Regis stated. Glauca pushed the King's Shield to the side as if he was nothing and was making his way towards them.

But when the Princess faced him, her eyebrows rose and her white knuckled grip on her fists were shaking. She was frozen again, unable to move and finding it difficult to even breathe. Her mouth was dry with her eyes twitching. She really wanted to move but she couldn't.

Before he could ram his greatsword into her chest someone had blocked it...it was Clarus. He got there just in time before the sword would have gone through the Princess's body. But his sword went through the Shield of the King so easily and effortlessly. Within a few seconds, Glauca retracted his sword back. Both Bella and Regis stared at the sword going through Clarus's body.

The King's hands were balled up into fists with a death grip, his chest was tight, his jaw clenched and the tears which fell down his cheeks were those of anger and rage. He stood up, taking the sword from his daughter. His best friend, the man he knew for 45 years, his first ever friend, the closest friend he ever had, the man who was promised to his sister, the man who swore to protect him since he was 18, had just been stabbed. There was no way he was going to show this man mercy for hurting his most treasured friend in the world; no way whatsoever. He ran towards him with all the rage and strength he had to fight for his best friend.

Bella on the other hand wrapped her arms around Clarus and fell onto her knees. Her widened eyes were sparkling with tears, her throat was aching and she was hyperventilating. She was sobbing quietly and uncontrollably as the pints upon pints of blood oozed out Clarus's wound. She took her dagger and cut the entire right side of her sleeve. "You're going to be okay..." She whispered as she wrapped it around his would and placed her trembling hand on the wound. But he placed his on hers whilst looking at her clinging onto each breath. By then, all of the Lucian officials were dead except Nyx, Bella and Regis.

"It's too late..." She shook her head stubbornly and sniffled.

"No, you can't die like this." She squeaked.

"I'm losing too much blood, Bella." He spat some blood out as he gripped onto her hand.

"Why...why sacrifice your life for me?" Bella asked disgusted with herself. "This...you're in this position because of me."

"No, don't blame yourself." Clarus shook his head. "This was my decision and mine alone. I chose to protect you, because you're worth protecting. I've seen everything, experienced so much but you've got your whole life ahead of you. So please...live it, little Princess." The man took something out from his pocket and held it out; there were 2 necklaces, one black necklace with an 'X' on it and another silver necklace with a black pendant with purple iris flowers on them. "Deliver this to Gladiolus and Iris for me...and tell them I'm sorry."

"I will." She whispered as she took the necklaces.

"Thank you, little Princess..." Those were the last words he muttered until his body became limp.

"You fulfilled your role as Shield of the King; Clarus Amicitia. May your soul rest in peace, eternally?" She murmured as she closed his eyelids.

Regis fell onto his back and she noticed the finger where the Ring of Lucii was supposed to be was missing and was left of it was bleeding. The King looked at his best friend and the tears falling down his cheeks were uncontrollable.

"Hear me Lucian Kings of Old!" Both father and daughter looked up to see Ravus wearing the Ring of Lucii as it glowed on his finger. "For I am Ravus Nox Fleuret and none is more worthy than your power than I..." Something was wrong; very wrong. "No...why…why do you refuse me?!"

The ring began to burn a blue hot fire and it spread all the way up his arm. He was screaming with agony and Bella could not just sit there and watch. Something inside her felt like protecting him wasn't a duty but rather something natural. She ran over to him with her dagger in her hand.

"Forgive me!" With one slice, she chopped his burning arm off and his screaming only became more painful and loud. She cut the left side of her skirt from the front to the back with only the right side of her skirt covering her right leg. She wrapped the fabric around his bleeding shoulder. She tied it up and placed his other hand on it whilst staring into his eyes, "Apply pressure to stop the bleeding, it'll keep you alive." She stated so gently and he nodded.

The ring was rolling along the floor and the Princess turned to it. She couldn't let it get into the Emperor's hands no matter what. So she chased after it and picked it up.

"If you could put it on, you could save Lucis and your father." The Emperor smirked in an attempt to trick her.

"Bella, don't!" Regis shouted.

The Princess stared at the Ring of the Lucii within her hand. If she had put this ring on she would inherit all the powers of the Old Lucian Kings. She would be able to destroy all the Imperials and save Insomnia. She was of their descent and King's blood ran through her very veins. And even if it did burn her like it did to Ravus, she would not be harmed. Why, she would be worthy since she was from the Lucis Caelum bloodline. But then she remembered, this ring belonged to the true King, to her brother. She would never be able to wear it, she was not worthy of it, unworthy of the powers of the Old Kings. They would reject her for not being worthy and see her forever as a rejected failure who will never be Queen. Bella walked towards her father and got onto her knees.

"Is Insomnia worth nothing to you?" Iedolas asked.

"Insomnia is worth everything to me, but I am worth nothing to the Ring of Lucii." She stated. "I am not the true King, I am a Princess but I will fight for Lucis, for Insomnia from whatever danger we face. Even you!"

"So be it... Glauca, finish the job." The Emperor commanded as he walked out of the door along with the rest of the Imperials.

"Bella, you need to go now, Cor must be downstairs. Go with Nyx and Luna and get out of here." He placed her hand onto her cheek.

"I can't go without you, I won't go without you!" She exclaimed. "We can still leave."

"No... I cannot. You must leave at once. Bell-"

It was as if Glauca had moved so swiftly that within a blink of an eye, he had moved towards the Princess. But instead of him stabbing her, he had stabbed the King through the chest. His blood spattered on her cheek as she watched the sword being withdrawn from him. Her eyes wide and filled with tears, her hands trembling, breathing heavy and heart beating uncontrollably fast. It was as if Glauca was strangling her again but he wasn't. There was a sick feeling at the pit of her stomach when she saw him took out his sword from his father's body. Her shaking hands held onto her father's arms and the ring fell out of her hands. It rolled towards the Oracle who picked it up. But Nyx knew that if Glauca saw her with it, he would attack her. So the brave young man pulled a protesting Luna away from the scene and they made a run for it.

"Bella..." His voice was weak and she looked at him with her bottom lip quivering. "My sweet child. I cannot go on..."

"No...You can't leave me in this cruel ugly world." She whispered. "Don't leave me. Please Daddy. I can't live without you!"

"No you must live, my child!" He raised his voice.

"Life is not worth living if you're not in it." She replied breathlessly.

"I am going to meet your mother, again...your sweet mother..." He smiled with tears falling down his cheeks and he held her shaking hand tightly. "My sweet little girl, you are free to from the bondage of royal duties. Live your life to the fullest. All I ask of you is to stay by your brother's side and protect him. I know you can because you're a strong woman, you're daddy's strong little girl." He leaned closer towards her, his breathing cutting short as her dress was being drenched in his blood. He placed a kiss on her cheek, his lips quivering as he cried. "I love you so much. I love you, my little girl. I love you my little warrior. Light of my eyes, blessing of my life, my most precious and purest treasure to bless Eos, I love you..."

And those were the last words before Regis exhaled his last breath on Eos. His body fell limp in her arms and she pulled away from him. His green eyes were closed forever, his heart was not responding and there he was not breathing through his nose or mouth. He was gone, the King of Lucis was truly gone. Noctis and Bella had lost their only parent; both of them were orphans but he died cradled in his daughter's arms.

"Daddy...daddy...don't go...please...please...please don't...daddy I...I cannot..." She stuttered. Even this broke Ravus's heart.

The King's death was enough for all the buried rage, anguish and sorrow to erupt within the Princess, like a million year old dormant volcano erupting. From the top of her lungs she screamed so loudly. It was so loud that the Imperials outside who were pushing the Marshall away from the Citadel and Cor himself could hear the screams of fury, he knew it was coming from his girl and something completely wrong must have happened.

Bella stood up with the scariest and coldest glare directed towards Glauca. She held her hand out and summoned forth her own weapon; Bellator Gladius, a 93cm basket hilted sword made by a professional blacksmith by Mors Lucis Caelum a gift for the youngest of his grandchildren, one he had never met. The handle was made of leather, the hilt was in a shape of a basket but made of pure gold with intricate designs, and the sword was sharp, silver in colour and made of titanium; both strong and light for her fighting style. The orphaned Princess stood with perfect posture, her sword pointing at Glauca.

"Someday, you will die from this sword and I will stand above you smirking watching the life within your eyes disappear. I swear it by the Six." She threatened with venomous hate dripping from every word.

Bellatrix ran towards Glauca swinging his sword towards him and their swords clashed. She kicked him back and kept striking her sword back and forth at him, attack after attack. She was merciless, she couldn't give a damn what her lady in waiting taught her about Princesses being merciful. Tonight, she wasn't a Princess, she was a Warrior. As she kept fighting with all her strength and speed, it made Glauca more riled up by the second. His attacks were more violent and aggressive towards her and thank the Six for her small frame and excellent speed.

Suddenly, he grabbed her wrist and held her hand down with her sword within her grasp. She was unable to move her arm but had an idea. She used the sword to balance herself as she kicked Glauca in the face with both feet. It was strong enough to make him stagger back, letting go of her arm and she got back onto her feet quickly. However, the kick had cracked his glass visor. She looked up at him and a soft gasp escaped her lips when she came face to face with her true enemy.

"Titus Drautos." She muttered through her teeth. "My brother entrusted my father's protection and safety in your hands, and you're the one who killed him?! You make me sick!"

She continued to fight him but he was more durable than her. Her stamina was starting to run out quick, and her movement became slower. He took advantages of this by landing some strikes and hits on her. She was covered with bruises, cuts and gashes all over her body; her arms, legs, her right waist, from the top of her back down to the middle and just below her collarbone. She fell onto the floor, breathing heavily and losing blood. He had broken her mother's precious throne into pieces, a memory of her dead mother; ruined.

Glauca grabbed her by the hair and lifted her up, her body daggling below his might. He had his sword ready to behead her and Ravus couldn't stand back any longer. He couldn't bear to see her get killed even after she put up such a fight. He got his sword, Alba Leonis, ready and ran towards them. Before the armoured Titus could chop her head off, Ravus swung his sword, cutting her hair off and letting her free.

Bella shrieked quietly when she fell onto the floor, her black hair sprawled around her. She caught her breath in just a matter of seconds and lifted herself up. Her hair now ended up at her neck and looked choppy. She saw as Titus was stomping towards Ravus, holding his greatsword, his weapon shaking with anger.

Something inside her urged her to help him, to protect him. It was not her duty, no, it did not feel like it. But rather her urge to protect Ravus felt...natural. So she stood up, ran as fast she could towards Drautos, pushing him out of the way with all her might. It was enough for him to be thrown into the wall on the opposite side of the hallway. She ran towards him, stumbling from the loss of blood but he kept her standing by wrapping an arm around her. She placed her hand on his cheek staring at him with that gentle gaze.

"Are you alright?" She asked tenderly.

"Yes, thanks to you." He groaned as his face winced with pain.

"I had to cut it off, or else it would spread." Bella stated as she stared at his covered shoulder. Her smile faded as a tear fell down her cheek. He took hold of her hand, holding it tightly and when she looked up at him she saw him smile so softly at her.

"You saved me…why?" He asked.

"Because I told you I would protect you." She murmured ever so gently and he felt his heart pounding faster in his chest. "Ravus, let's get away from here. There nothing left for us in this city. We can take as many people from here out of Insomnia if we work together."

"My sister..." He stated.

"We will find her, she with Nyx a brave and loyal soldier." He shook his head.

"I cannot go with you." Ravus said so quietly.

"Please..." She whispered with a tear falling down her cheek; it pained her to see her beg whilst crying.

"How... do we escape without being noticed?" He asked.

"A secret passageway into the border of Insomnia." She mumbled and he nodded. "Let's go."

But before they could even move, Titus grabbed the Princess by the neck with a death grip. He pushed Ravus down onto the floor and began marching. There was no way she could breathe and her vision was blurry. All she could feel was her hands and feet becoming numb, one of her shoe fell off and she could only hear Ravus's loud and emotional begging to spare her life. But no matter how much he pleaded it wasn't enough.

Glauca threw Bellatrix out of the window, the glass breaking around her. As she fell down, she felt the cool refreshing air on her hot bleeding body. Through her teary eyes she could see the beautiful sunrise in the distance. She knew she could not survive this, the contact with the ground would kill her. Too weak from the loss of blood, warping onto another building was impossible. And even if it was possible, she wouldn't last long. The only things that upset her was not seeing Noctis or the others again. Not seeing her brother ever again, not being able to talk to him, comfort him or protect him. Not being able to confess her feelings for Gladiolus. Not being able to live life to the fullest like what Clarus told her. Letting all these lives lost for her go in vain. Death was beyond her control and soon she would see her father in the afterlife and meet her mother there too. The young Princess closed her eyes shut hoping to see her parents when she opened them.

As soon as her body hit the ground, her heart had stop functioning and so did her brain, she was unable to breathe and her body had turned limp and cold. Cor who had managed to defeat the MTs heard the loud thud on the floor and turned around. His cool blue eyes widened and his breath hitched at his throat as his heart stopped. It couldn't be...he ran over to the body and turned it around holding it in his arms.

The sight of the dead Princess was something he wished to never see but here she was in his arms. His throat tightened, he was sweating, his skin turned pale and he gasped for air. He screamed and began crying with tears falling down his face like never ending rain as he cradled his little cub's dead body. When she was born, he was the first to hold and now…now that she was dead, he was holding her still. She was an innocent child of Eos, one who saw the good in everyone. There no way she deserved death or suffering. A feeling of utter guilt spread across his body like a flood; he should've been there, he should've saved her. But it was beyond his control. He could not save her and he felt like a failure for not being able to. He held her against him kissing her pale cold face hoping she would wake up, hoping for a miracle that she would be brought to life. But no, miracles did not exist. Because if they did, Bella would open her eyes and smile at him like she always did, every day.

Death comes for all of us, it does not discriminate. That was something Cor was taught from a young age. So why did the death of the Princess mean something different? It did, it meant something completely different. She was his cub, he taught her so much, most importantly how to fight and now she was no more.


	5. Chapter 5: For Bella

This is a really length and angsty chapter. I hope you all take this chapter well because it killed me writing it!

* * *

 **Warrior of Lucis**

 **Chapter 5: For Bella**

Noctis had just woken up in the hotel at Galdin Quay. The dark haired Prince was rubbing his eyes whilst yawning and stretching like a lazy cat. He picked up his phone and the first thing that came to his mind was his little sister. Bella sent him pictures of her and her father before the peace treaty signing. At that time, he was eating dinner with the others. Hell, he was on his phone anyway, saw the notification and didn't want to even see it. But today he felt like he should look at his messages from her and reply to her. He unlocked his phone and saw the pictures she had sent.

For a minute there, he couldn't recognise the woman in the picture. It wasn't the fact that he had just woken, it was that she looked so different. She didn't look like his baby sister but rather a young woman who looked so mature and sophisticated. He thought she was so beautiful, the most beautiful person he had ever seen. But with that dress and her golden crown? She was more beautiful than an Astral. But Bella had that smile on her face that only he knew, it was that fake smile which was plastered on her face and his heart panged with pain; she wasn't happy. He was a rebellious teenager, hell he still was, he could've demanded she go with them instead but he just didn't.

His train of thought was interrupted when he heard a knock at the door. "Come in." He called out and the door opened with Prompto and Gladio entering.

"Morning, sleeping beauty." Prompto chirped.

"Hey, no one can call me that." Noctis pouted.

"No one but your sis and she gets away with it." Gladio crossed his arms.

"Speaking of your sister, didn't she get engaged yesterday?" It hurt both the future King and Shield when Prompto said that.

With Noct it was normal, she was his sister and he wasn't okay with this whole rearrangement. But with Gladio? He didn't know why but even he wasn't okay with this whole engagement. Ravus had allied himself with the Nifs, Lucis's biggest enemy and the fact that she has never met the Prince in what, 12 years? In his opinion, she should be free to marry whoever she chooses, whoever she loves.

Gladio remembered talking to his father about it with Iris at dinner. His father told him that it was just something that was planned for a while now in order to improve the relationship of the Kingdom and that Bella had accepted. But when his son asked what about Bella, what if she was in love with someone else? Then Iris replied with other questions which struck him and had him thinking for days. What if the man she was in love with didn't return those feelings? What if she felt like that person would never love her because he's barely spent time with her? She told him that would crumble her already weak confidence and gave her a better reason to settle for Ravus. He thought what crazy man wouldn't accept her feelings and at least date her? The Princess was extremely beautiful and according to what his father and Noct says about her she's the sweetest and kindest person they had ever met. When Gladio spent the past few months with her more often than he did all those years ago, they got along well and it was if she had hidden gems inside her. It was like she was hiding her true self and it would only show occasionally, whether it be her love for flowers, violins and books or even her dreams to see the rest of Eos.

"Yeah, she sent me pictures. Here." Noctis gave his phone to the blonde haired young man.

"Wowww! Is that really her?" Prompto asked with pink cheeks. "Gladio look!" He exclaimed whilst nudging the big friendly giant.

When Gladio's eyes fell on the picture, they widened and he gulped. He felt blood rush to his cheeks as they turned many shades of pink and the hair at the back of his neck stood. He had never seen her, so dressed up so well prepared like this. She wasn't even wearing much makeup yet she looked utterly mesmerising and that dress made her look captivating. The kind of women he flirted with were of no match to the Princess, especially like this. If she was still single and wasn't promised to Ravus, you'd bet he would ask her out.

"Bella looks so beautiful! Oh my! She looks just like the Princess she really is!" The blond grinned enthusiastically. "But y'know I'd do a better job at taking the picture. I bet the Marshall took it!"

Ignis had walked into the room and they all looked at him. His green eyes were sparkling with tears as he stared at Noct, with that look of guilt, grief and sadness.

"What's that look for?" The Prince asked. He turned to Gladio and gave his the newspaper in his hand.

"It's in all the papers." He stated.

"What is?"

"Insomnia…falls?" Prompto read the headline and Noctis's heart had stopped beating the moment he said that.

"What…?" He gasped. "Is this your idea of a joke?"

"I need you to calm down and let me explain." Ignis reassured him. "There was an attack; the Imperial army has taken the Crown City."

"As treaty room tempers flared, blasts lit the night sky. When the Citadel had cleared the King was found dead."

The Prince shook his head with his hands shaking with anxiety and fear. The dark haired man snatched the paper from Gladio. Ignis grabbed onto his hand with a tight grasp stopping him from reading the rest of the paper.

"What about...-" His sister…

"Don't for the love of the Six, don't turn the page." He commanded but Noct barged him out the way and opened the paper. Ignis closed his eyes and tears slowly fell down his cheeks.

When his eyes fell on both pages, they widened when he saw pictures of his sister the main one was that of her corpse on the floor outside the Citadel. The headline read;

 **BELLA, DEAD FROM FALL**

Noctis's hands were out of control as they trembled, he wasn't able to keep his hands still. His eyelids were stiff and his blue eyes stung like poison welling up with tears. His throat and lungs felt dry and sore. He shook his head with disbelief; there was no way she was dead. He didn't want to believe but the pictures were right there.

When Gladio leaned in and looked at the paper, his eyes widened and he took a step back as he gasped. There was a heavy sickly feeling his stomach and a sudden feeling of dread that hit him in the core. His posture was stiff, muscles felt rigid and he reached up his hand to clasp his throat. He felt an excruciating surge of pain from his heart to every inch of his body. His amber eyes turned dull and were sparkling with tears. And when Prompto saw it, he froze unable to process or express anything on the outside but on the inside it was like a tornado of sadness a tsunami of grief and a volcanic eruption of anger.

"Why?" Gladio's voice was shaky and uneven from the shock and sadness he felt. They both felt Ignis's hand being placed on their shoulders and they turned to him.

"We should give him some time alone." He murmured and he escorted them out of the room, closing the door behind him.

When Noctis was alone, he expressed his anger and woe. The tears in his blue eyes finally fell down his cheeks and did not stop falling. He was sniffling and gasping for air then began hyperventilating. His pale cheeks were red from the crying and he stumbled out into the balcony. The Prince of Lucis began yelling and crying so loudly of frustration and despair. He loved his sister, endlessly. She was his whole wide world and her happiness meant everything to him.

Why didn't he just take her with her? If he had done so, she would still have been alive. He felt like he should've said something about her marrying Ravus, he should have stood up for her freedom and demand that she marry whoever she wants, he should've spoken out for her especially when she couldn't. And his father…he didn't remember what it was like losing his mother because he was only 2 years old but losing both his sister and father felt like death to him. He regret the way he spoke to his father before he had left; it was the last time he saw him. Now he truly felt alone, with no other family members alive. The Prince felt more grief than anger, what he truly wanted, was not revenge for their deaths, but for both his father and sister to be alive. But no, they found both their corpses at the Citadel. The Prince rushed back into the room, got onto his knees and picked up the paper. He began skimming through the paper and from what he saw they were buried with Queen Aulea. Another thing that was upsetting was that he couldn't even visit their graves and say all the things he wanted to say to them.

The Prince sat down on his bed wiping his tears as he kept staring at that picture of his sister's dead body. Around her was broken glass, her dress was ripped from the left side and her right sleeve was cut, her body was riddled with cuts, bruises and gashes and her mascara was smudged likely from tears. The article stated that she fell from the room where the Empire attacked the King and more tears rolled down his cheeks. That most likely meant she had to watch their father being killed, it was painful hearing his father was dead but for his sister to actually watch him die would be something not even he could take. He then saw that Gladio's father also perished with a stab wound to his chest like the King, but his wound was covered with what journalists assume to be the Princess's sleeve.

"She tried to save him…" He muttered to himself. "Bella…you really were something."

The door opened and in came Ignis with a tray of food. Noctis didn't even look up to see who it was, he just kept staring into the newspaper blankly. Ignis sat down beside him placing the tray next to him.

"You need to eat." His advisor stated.

"I'm not hungry." Noctis placed the newspaper down and kept his eyes down. He was gripping onto his pale fists which were on his lap and they were trembling.

"She wouldn't want you to starve yourse-"

"Well she's not here! She's gone!" The dark haired Prince yelled and there was a long moment of silence between them until he broke down in front of his friend. "There's no way she's coming back…" His voice croaked as the tears kept falling down his face and Ignis could see his pain.

"If she saw you was not eating, she would scold you." He stated and took the tray. "So please eat, at least for her." Noctis sighed and took the tray, there was a plate of eggs, toast, sausages and a cup of Ebony coffee. He started eating and drinking the coffee and Ignis was glad that he was at least eating. "If you want we can spend one more day here. You need some time to unwind and be at peace even if it is just for a day. How does that sound?"

"Sounds reasonable." He stated. "I want you to do something for me, Iggy. It's my only request."

"What is it?" The advisor questioned curiously.

"Contact each outpost, each hotel and notify that tonight we will do something in memory for my sister. Can you do that?" Ignis nodded.

"What will be done?" He asked.

"I want everyone to light up a sky lantern for her to light the dark sky, to honour her memory." He said and his advisor nodded.

"I think that's for the best. I'll go make preparations." He stated and then left the room. Ignis closed the door behind him as he looked up at Prompto and Gladio.

"How's he holding up?" The blonde haired man asked.

"He's eating, but he's devastated. He asked me a favour, to let all the outposts in Lucis know that there will be special event to honour the Princess's mourning. He wants everyone to light up a sky lantern for her. I believe that's what she would've wanted." He explained.

"I'll give you a hand with that." Prompto offered and they both looked at Gladio who looked like he hadn't slept for days.

"I think we should all do something today to honour her memory. No matter how big or small." Ignis added.

"Yeah, you're right. I'm gonna go…spend some time to myself." They both nodded at him and he left them.

Gladio began walking along the beach and he kept thinking about his father. The man he respected and loved the most, was gone…just like that. He raised both him and Iris after their mother died even whilst serving as Shield of the King. Even King Regis knew his situation and understood it, allowing him as much time off as he needed. Even though his father lost his wife and had 2 kids to raise whilst protecting the King, he still stayed strong no matter what and never did he once take out his frustration on them. Tears fell down his cheeks as he stayed silent with only the sound of the breeze and waves calming him down. The young man knew that the responsibility of Shield of the King now rested on his shoulders. Thankfully his sister was still safe in the Amicitia mansion for now. His mind was filled with sorrow, anxiety and pain. Gladio remembered he read in a newspaper article that around his father's wound was the Princess's sleeve. She tried to save him and most likely tried to get him out of there too.

Bella, she was just an innocent girl trapped in all that unnecessary chaos and she lost her life for nothing. In his mind, Gladio could see her sparkle green eyes, ones just like her fathers, the way her dark long hair waltzed in the breeze, her eyes fluttering like the wings on a butterfly, the way her cheeks turned a cute faint red when she got flustered, and that bright smile of hers that was filled with so much happiness, that was so radiant that it reminded him of when he would watch the sunrise at the crack of dawn. Her face was etched into his mind, into his memory and he felt an excruciating pang in his chest known only to him as guilt. He could have protected her, no he wanted to protect her from whatever danger.

Gladio gripped onto his fists tightly until his knuckles turned pale and he began punching the rocky surface of a wall. He kept on punching as he kept imagining what those monsters did to her, he remembered the articles saying her body was covered with so many injuries and on her neck were red marks indicating someone most likely strangled her. He kept thinking about someone suffocating her, hurting her and his punches just got harder and harder. Then it was as if he saw her falling from the Citadel and her body hit the ground and he dealt a final blow to the wall.

When he was done, he slid down against the wall. His knuckles were bleeding and the rocky wall was cracked. His hands were trembling from the pain and the sadness that plagued his heart. He leant his head against the wall and began crying and sobbing his heart out for both the Princess and his father. The poor young man was shaking as his emotions got the better of him. It was only when he was alone that he could let everything out.

After 10 minutes of getting everything out of his system he noticed a bright ray of light shining through what looked like an entrance of a cavern. He managed to get up to his feet and walked into the cavern. It was dark but the ray of bright sunshine hit a patch of flowers like a spotlight. He walked towards the flowers and noticed that they were the very flowers he was named after; sword flowers, Gladiolus. These flowers also reminded him of the first time he met Bella.

It was 13 years ago and it was Gladio's first time at the Citadel. He remembered wandering off and getting lost somehow. Calm, he just tried walking around to get back outside so he could somehow find someone to help him find his dad. He must have walked into one of the gardens in the Palace where there were a small collection of flowers. He could hear a girl's voice humming and walked closer. There was when he first saw a 5 year old Bella, her hair was up to her shoulders, her face rounder with her cheeks rosy like a doll. Gladio remembered the outfit she wore that day. A red long sleeved with dark blue, brown knee length wellington boots, a brown gardening apron and gloves. She was pouring water onto flowers with a silver watering can which looked a little heavy for her. The young girl almost dropped it until Gladio ran over to her and helped. When she turned to look up at him, he thought she would be afraid of seeing someone new in the Citadel. But instead he was greeted with that bright smile that would never change.

"Thank you." She said and he helped her pour water onto the flowers. "You must be new around here. I've never seen you before."

"I'm Clarus's son. It's my first time here." He helped her place the water can on the floor.

"I'm Bella, nice to meet you." She giggled and the young boy's eyes widened.

"You're the Princess?!" He asked and Bella nodded. The young man bowed immediately and she looked confused.

"You don't have to bow." She laughed nervously and he stood up whilst looking away.

"So uh, you really like flowers huh?" He asked sheepishly and she nodded.

"I really do. My favourite flowers are Gladiolus flowers. They look like swords!" She exclaimed excitedly. Gladio's eyes widened as his cheeks turned pink.

"Funny…my name is Gladiolus." The man repeated as he closed his eyes as the tears rolled down his cheeks. He was no longer in the past now but had to move forward into the cruel present he lived in; one where both Bella and Clarus were dead. He took out a bandage from his pocket and wrapped it around his bleeding knuckles and plucked one Gladioli flower.

Prompto was helping Ignis with getting the message out to all outposts and the city of Lestallum. The blonde haired man suggested they should make posters and send it out as well as using social media to spread awareness. They both were sitting in front of a computer Dino offered them to use, with the older man typing up emails.

The youngest of the group was looking through the pictures on his camera and sighed deeply as he felt his chest tighten and his heart squeeze. He remembered when he first met Bella. She was only 10 years old. She would notice that he would watch her brother from afar and knew that he felt insecure about himself and didn't believe he was good enough to be his friend. He met her when she was waiting for her brother outside school. She approached him and was the one to initiate conversation, telling him that she would always notice him watching her brother. She was so kind to him and instead of staring at him darkly like other kids did, she looked at him with bright sparkling eyes and a dazzling genuine smile. In actual fact, she was his first friend. Together, their bond blossomed into a beautiful friendship. She would also always praise him for his photography through the years and then on the day of his 20th birthday, she gifted him a camera, the one he was holding in his hand in that moment.

The young man had stopped going through his pictures when he had suddenly found the perfect picture for the posters. It was a picture of her smiling brightly holding a bouquet of flowers wearing a cream turtleneck jumper and a red high waisted skirt. He remembered it was the day she celebrated her 18th birthday with him, Noctis, Ignis and Gladio at the Prince's apartment. Those were happier and brighter days that he wished would last forever.

"What about this one?" Prompto asked with a lower less cheery voice as he showed the camera to his friend. He looked at the picture and smiled with a curt nod.

"Perfect." He stated and looked back at the computer.

"You seem to be handling this well, huh Iggy?" Prompto stated and Ignis lips fell to a frown.

"Someone has to stay level headed and in control of their emotions, or else we would all fall apart." His voice sounded strained and he looked absolutely drained. His eyes weren't fully opened or completely sharp but rather tired. Prompto could see that deep inside, Ignis wasn't handling this well.

"I'll get you some Ebony, buddy." He patted his friend's shoulder, stood up and left the room.

When Ignis was left alone, he exhaled deeply whilst leaning back on his chair. He took his glasses off, placed them onto the table and tilted his head back a little to relax.

Though he was asked to be in service to Noctis, he felt like he needed to be in service to his sister too. She was so lonely as a child, with many servants of the household doing their chores without even speaking to her or even looking into her eyes. Not one of them cared for her, they only cared for their jobs. When the girl tried to have fun or truly be herself, they would psychologically abuse her which made her so quiet and enduring. Ignis was the only one who knew about this.

Then one day it got out of hand, when she was just 6 years old she had returned to her quarters sweaty and out of breath. Her hair was a mess and she was wearing training gear, the same glaives would wear. When the servants found her, they pulled her, scolded her, yelled her and threated to stop the nonsense at once or they would punish her. Until Bella snapped, she yelled at them telling them that she wanted to become strong, that she didn't care about them and that she wanted to be free to do whatever she pleased. One of her past ladies in waiting who didn't want to hear any more of it, slapped her in the face, so hard that she fell out of her room. Ignis who heard the commotion rushed to her safety and helped her run away from them. He immediately took her to the King telling him exactly what happened. The servants who were responsible were banished from the household. The next time she saw him, she hugged him, thanking him for protecting her and giving him a flower. The pair bonded over their liking of fine art, tea and cooking, though the Princess didn't know how to cook, he taught her how to do so. Shortly after he realised that spending time with her, could be a way to distract from her suffering and responsibilities, giving her a chance to express her true self instead of pretending to be someone she wasn't.

"Gods, did she not suffer enough?" He whispered as the tears had finally escaped from his eyes as he rested his forehead against the palm of his hand. "She was just an innocent girl who did no wrong. Heart full of gold and kindness. Why must you take the good and spare the cruel?"

The door opened and when Prompto entered, Ignis quickly sat up wiping his face and putting on his glasses. Prompto froze for a minute examining him then walking closer towards him whilst putting the can of Ebony on the table.

"Iggy, are you okay?" He asked worriedly.

"Ah yes, just some dust in my eyes." He lied and even Prompto couldn't be fooled so easily. He sat beside his friend and offered him some tissues.

"It's okay to cry." He reassured him as the advisor took the tissues wiping his eyes and blowing his nose whilst sniffling.

"Thank you Prompto, but we should really finish this work off." Ignis stated and Prompto nodded.

It took them almost all day to get word out, faxing out posters everywhere, sending emails, and making sure as many people were contacted. They even got people following on social media and so many people were on board, people in Insomnia, Leide, Duscae, Cleigne, Altissia and even as far as Tenebrae too. So many people across Eos wanted to honour her and they were sending out messages on social media. Noctis was shocked to see the amount of people paying their respects and expressing how deeply hurt they are by her death. He remember her telling them that the people didn't care for her and all they care for was him. But if only she could see how wrong she was.

It was early evening and Prompto had left to go find Noctis and Gladio so they could gather up some ingredients for dinner. The advisor though what better way to honour the Princess's memory than cooking her favourite dish? The young man was on his personal social media on his phone until he received a message.

His eyes widened a little as his cheeks turned pink and he sat leaned closer to the computer. He had been friends with a girl from Altissia whose family owned a restaurant there. Her name was Wren Asteria. She was extremely talented at making desserts and he was a big fan of hers. He would always comment on her presentation skill which were out of this world and she really appreciated it. She was also a fan of his presentation skills and even told him that she had tried to make some of his recipes. Over 2 years they became very good friends, though he was sensible and mature, Wren was obnoxious, talkative and outspoken. But after a year, Ignis couldn't help but develop a small crush on her. He opened the message and it was from her.

 **Wren Asteria**

 _Wren: Hey Ignis, I read about what happened to the Princess on the news. Really sorry about what happened. Prince must be broken losing his father and sister all in one night. How are you holding up? :,(_

He smiled sadly at this, whenever Ignis would speak of the Princess to her, she was so curious and excited to meet her. Even when he mentioned his friend to Bella, the Princess would feel the exact same way.

 _Ignis: Wren, I hope you are well. I just finished sending out emails for the event to honour the Princess's memory. I can't say that I am fine, her death has really affected us all, especially Noctis._

 _Wren:Have you eaten today?"_

Ignis's cheeks reddened as he gulped; she was so thoughtful and caring of his wellbeing. He felt his heart escalating in his chest as he typed his reply.

 _Ignis: I cannot lie to you I have not eaten. I have been busy all day._

 _Wren: Ignis! You should be eating, especially during a tough time like this. Don't tell me you've had only Ebony today._

 _Ignis: You know me so well._

 _Wren: That's it, prepare to be punished! :D_

He received a picture of a pizza with a face on it. The pizza had pepperoni for eyes, a mushroom for a nose, red peppers as lips, olives as a glasses and barbecue sauce as hair. The man squinted his eyes and noticed that the hair looked like his.

 _Ignis: Is that…supposed to be me?_

 _Wren: Amazing isn't it? Looks just like you! XD_

And that was the first time he smiled out of happiness that day. It was such an adorable thing to send him and it really cheered him up.

 _Ignis: I love it, Wren. Thank you._

 _Wren: Now excuse me, I'd like to eat my Pizza Ignis! ;D_

 _Ignis: I hope you enjoy the pizza version of me. I'll talk to you later._

 _Wren: Don't forget to eat!_

 _Ignis: I will, don't worry._

 _Wren: Please cheer up too, okay. I know Bella meant a lot to you, but things are gonna be okay. She'd be upset seeing her you guys sad like this. If you need to talk, just message me okay?! :D Big smiles_

 _Ignis: Thank you, Wren. I really appreciate the support._

 _Wren: Anytime, Ignis! See ya! ;)_

 _Ignis: Take care._

He closed the app and sighed dreamily with pink cheeks. She really was something else, a young woman like no other. She really cared for him as well as the others and he really admired her for it. Them going to Altissia if still possible, made him both nervous and excited to finally meet her. He'd hope to spend more time with her and even take her out to dinner.

The young man logged off the computer, exited the room and thanked Dino for offering the computer to him. When he walked through the restaurant and along the beach, he noticed many adults, elderly and children working on their sky lanterns. People were colouring theirs with crayons and decorating them with glitter and ribbon. But one thing was for sure, they all had one thing in common; all sky lanterns had these words on them;

 **FOR THE PRINCESS**

He couldn't help but feel proud that the message had successfully gotten out there and sad that the Princess was truly gone. Ignis finally arrived at the haven where the tent and cooking area was set up and the fire was lit. Around it the 3 boys just sat there staring into nothing in their own little worlds where she was still alive.

Ignis pulled up his sleeves and started preparing and making the dish. The atmosphere felt tense and suffocating because it was dead silent. When he was cutting the vegetables he could remember Bella giving him a hand with cooking whenever she visited her brother. She was always the one who told him to relax whilst he told her what to do so that he wouldn't get tired. She was always up for a helping hand, especially during cooking. If she was here now, she would be the one cooking vegetables whilst nagging her brother to help out more often.

But then that image of Bella hitting the ground from the top of the Citadel made him grip onto the knife as he began cutting faster and more harshly. The image of her suffering from the hands of the Empire, torturing her, what she had to endure by most likely watching her father die; it made his blood boil.

His heated trail of thought broke when he suddenly felt a sharp pain on his hand. Ignis shrieked quietly and lifted his finger which was bleeding. He wasn't looking where he was cutting and ended up getting a deep cut on his left hand, he was cutting so roughly that it went through his glove.

"Gladio…" The said man looked up. "Could you fetch me the first aid kit, please?"

"Got it." He mumbled and went through the bags.

"Are you okay?" Prompto asked.

"Just a small cut." He reassured his friend. Gladio walked up to him and Ignis removed his glove. When the taller man looked down at the cut, he glanced up at Ignis and then proceeded to place a plaster on his hand. "Your sister, Iris. Is she alright?"

"The house was surrounded by Imperials but a member of the Kingsglaive took them out and are trying to lead them out of the house through the basement." The others looked up at him.

"A Kingsglaive member, took out Imperials on their own?" Ignis asked.

"Must have been Nyx." Noctis muttered.

"It was a woman." Gladio corrected.

"But to do that is really something." Prompto praised. "How is Iris holding up?"

"She's staying strong, I'm thankful of that." A small smiled formed on his face; he was proud of her.

Ignis finished cooking and served up dinner. It was Bella's very favourite dish; Upside Down Bowl. The bottom of was Saxham rice, topped off with a flavoursome sauce with Basilisk Breast, Vesprooms, Leiden Sweet Peppers, Caem Carrots, Duscae Sweetcorn and Caem Pinkshrimps with a Birdbeast Fried Egg on top. He served the others who all looked at the dish looking confused.

"I don't think you've ever made this for us before, Iggy." Gladio stated.

"It looks and smells great though." Prompto said as he took a picture.

"It had vegetables in it." The Prince's nose crinkled as his eyebrow twitched.

"It's called Upside Down Bowl, Bella's favourite dish." Ignis sat on the Coleman fold up chair. "Before we left Insomnia, your sister told you to not be picky with the food I prepare. So at least eat these vegetables today, for her." He stated.

"You better eat 'em." Gladio warned him and Noct rolled his eyes.

"I will, get off my back." He muttered.

They all began eating and everyone wholeheartedly enjoyed the meal, even Noctis forced himself to eat the vegetables just for her. Prompto helped Gladio wash up and put away the dishes. Then they all began constructing their lanterns with Ignis giving the Prince a hand with his. All of their lanterns were unique, Ignis hung a little red origami bird with his, Prompto hung a copy of his first ever picture with the Princess the original he treasured on a file, Gladio hung the Gladiolus flowers he found earlier but Noctis wrote a message with his. The message reading; _**I hope this reaches you in heaven, I love you, Noctis.**_ Together they lit up their sky lanterns and Ignis had checked the time on his watch; they would release it following the Prince at 9pm. He looked at Noctis nodding at him, indicating to let his go.

"Bella, I will always love you." Noct murmured with a tear slowly falling down his cheeks as let go of his sky lantern.

"Bella, I will always remember you." Prompto whispered as he left his go.

"Bella, I will always honour your memory." Ignis stated as he did the same.

"Bella…" Gladio's voice croaked. "I will always cherish you."

Their lanterns floated in the air and so did everyone else's. It was a beautiful view seeing so many lanterns lighting up the night sky. As they floated up and got smaller and smaller, they looked like stars. And it wasn't just Cape Caem who were doing this, but people all around Cleigne, Leide, Duscae, Altissia, Niflheim, Tenebrae and even Insomnia.

"She would have loved this." Noctis stated.

"This is all for Bella." Ignis replied as the four boys stared at the beautiful dark sky lit with sky lanterns honouring the memory of the deceased Princess of Lucis.


	6. Chapter 6: Saviour

**Warrior of Lucis**

 **Chapter 6: Saviour**

All that was seen was fire and the sound of a loud piercing cry of a bird followed soon after, along with the sound of dancing flames. Then there was a voice that would make anyone cower with fear. A woman's voice which was husky yet intimidating and coarse.

" **Rise, oh child of Kings. Oh, you who was birthed and risen through fire and from ashes. You who had suffered emotionally, mentally and physically. They twisted your mind, broke your body and crushed your soul. You are not a mere selfish mortal, but a warrior of the Royal bloodline. Now rise. Rise and be reborn by my blessing again."**

The young woman who saw fire and heard an unknown voice was suddenly given back life, as oxygen filled her lungs once again and her heart began to beat. Her eyes that opened was a bright red that was like fire which only lasted a second till she blinked and it turned to her usual forest green eyes again. Tears filled her eyes as she reached her chest feeling it pound, thanking whoever the voice belonged to for giving her another chance at life. She found her breathing was limited as she was stuck inside a very tight coffin with not much room to move in.

"Help!" She shouted as she slammed her hands against the top of the coffin. "Help! Is anyone there?! Help!" No matter how much she yelled there was no response.

But then Bella remembered; the daggers in her sheathes. The Princess took one out and began stabbing the top of the wooden coffin. It was a thick and hard piece of wood that she was hacking but thankfully the weapon her father gave her was enough to break the wood. When the top of the coffin broke, the soil above fell down onto her body, so she dug herself out of the ground and her head was the first to raise above the ground as she took in a sharp breath. She was breathing heavily trying to catch her breath and take in all the oxygen necessary.

She climbed out of the ground and fell onto her side, facing a newly made grave and an older one. Bella, whose breathing returned back to normal, noticed that the newly made grave was her for father and the older one of his left belonged to her mother. The warm tears fell down her cold cheeks as she began to cry like a child and she placed her hand on top the pile of soil which buried her father. She managed to push herself up to her knees, placing the other hand on the soil that buried the mother she never knew.

"I wished I could see you both when I opened my eyes again." Her voice was shaky as her bottom lip quivered. "Father, I wanted to see your smile again and be buried by your warm embrace. Mother, I wanted to see your beautiful face with my own eyes, face to face and to be held in your arms. But I promise you both." Her head whipped up as she stared at both their graves with determination glowing in her eyes. "I promise you I will find Noctis and protect him with my life. I swear it by Etro herself, I swear it on your graves, that I will protect him no matter, what. Even if I die trying." The Princess meant every word of it then she turned to face her father. "The one who killed you, the one who killed Clarus and the one who killed me. It was Titus Drautos. He was working for the Empire the entire time. But don't you worry." She held up the dagger and gripped onto it as drops of blood fell onto the soil. "I Bellatrix Lucis Caelum, daughter of King Regis Lucis Caelum and Queen Aulea swear a blood oath on the grave of her father the King, to gain justice from both his death and death of the King's Shield Clarus Amicitia. I pledge to kill Titus Drautos, making him pay for his crimes as a traitor of both Lucis and the crown, only when I am strong enough. No matter how long it will take me, a year, a decade or even 50 years, I vow to make him regret the day he laid a finger on the Queen of Tenebrae, the Shield of the King, many innocent lives and the King of Lucis. Father, Mother, I must leave. I love you both."

Bella stood to her feet and turned around, she was located at the back of the Citadel where the rest of the royal family were buried outside. She looked up at the Palace, squinting her eyes trying to look for the balcony to her room. That was until she saw the pots of bright sunflowers. With all her force, she threw the dagger towards the location she had in view.

She warped to the balcony and pulled herself up to safe ground. She remembered keeping the door unlocked and peered into her room checking if anyone was in there. Thankfully the coast was clear and she opened the door, closing it silently behind her. Bella sat on her bed, wiping the dirt off her body. Her cuts and gashes were still fresh, so she continued ripping apart her skirt and wrapping them around her injuries. When the Princess was done, she ran towards her closet, opening it and going through it, trying to find any clothing. Her wardrobe was filled with nothing but dresses which she knew she would never wear again. Fortunately, she did manage to find a glaive's coat she would use for training with Cor, a black hooded cloak, a pair of shorts and a black breathable mouth mask. The young woman put them on and took out a satchel bag. She took off the only shoe she had left on her foot in that bag. She took out a map of Insomnia from her harness sheath around her thigh and placed it into the bag, as well as her phone and charger. Her father had given the map to her before the signing with directions towards that hidden passageway he mentioned before. She packed the only two potions and ethers she had in her room and a 2 litre bottle of water. The Princess removed her jewellery placing them into her jewellery box and keeping her mother's ring and engagement ring in her bag to avoid any suspicion.

Bella left her bedroom and checked if the coast was clear. Oddly enough when she took the stairs down to the entrance lobby, the Citadel was completely empty. What the Empire was looking for they surely must have found it. But when she got outside, her eyes widened and she felt her heart stop for a moment. The gates of the Citadel was barricaded completely so she hid behind a column; how was she supposed to get out of the Citadel limits when the entrance was completely blocked off?

"There must be Imperials on the other side of that gate. So even if I climb over I could get caught." She said to herself and started looking around trying to find something she could work with. But all she could find was litter. Her eyes however picked up on something and she got an idea.

The young woman ran down the stairs and found a bottle of rum with about half the alcohol left in there. She also found some paper too, so she rolled it up then slid it into the bottle. She scurried across the clearing and climbed up the gate.

The Princess pulled herself up slowly and carefully as she peered out to see what her situation was. Her hunch was right but instead of usual Imperial soldiers, there were 10 Magitek Soldiers outside the other side of the gate.

"They're definitely not human, not human anymore." She thought to herself and ducked. "Alright, you better work." Her index finger was covered with fire and she touched the paper, letting the flames spread.

When the fire was about to touch the alcohol, she threw it as far away as possible out, towards a broken down car. The bottle hit the roof of the car and the bottle cracked as the fire burned stronger.

7 of the Magitek Troopers stomped towards the car and hopped off the gate and landed quietly on one knee.

Bella felt her heart pounding in her chest and her throat felt tight. She was right behind the backs of all three MTs. She knew what her escape route out of this situation and took out her dagger. She held it up with a tight grip and gulped. She threw her dagger through one of their chests and she warped back and forth through all three soldiers. As they perished, piercing screams came from their armours as they faded into a black smoke. Just before the other remaining 7 Magiteks could turn around and notice, Bella warped towards them taking them out with just her 2 daggers in just 15 seconds.

The young woman began running through the streets and all she kept thinking about was Clarus. She had to get to the Amicitia Mansion to help Iris and the others escape. But she knew their residence was on the other side of the city, south-east of the Citadel. If she had a car or a motorbike she would be able to get there quicker within just 20 minutes.

"I have to find a way to get there by foot without getting caught." She said. "I better not stay here just in case anyone turns up."

The Princess began walking through the smaller roads to avoid any detection. She was cautious with each action and decision she took, she felt like a wanted criminal in her own home. Her city, Insomnia was in panic and chaos with the rise of Imperials around the main roads. People were running around screaming and panicking as Imperial fleets began invading and massacring many people. It forced the rest of the civilians into hiding in large abandoned buildings like old warehouses. Supplies of food and water were getting shorter as every hour passed with many Imperial Soldiers taking them away.

* * *

Bella placed her hand on her stomach as it began to make noise; she hasn't eaten in 12 hours and she was slowly getting more tired of walking and running around in secret. If she didn't keep herself hydrated or well fed then she wouldn't be able to warp or fight either. So she followed directions to a food cash and carry where hopefully she could find something there the Imperials haven't taken.

However, once she got there the Imperials were already there securing the area. She knew she only had one way to get through them; stealth kills. The young woman used her warp strike on the Niflheim troop standing in front of the entrance. She quietly opened the door and slipped into the entrance with a welcoming desk and behind there was a huge doorway leading to the humungous area where all the wholesale stock was sold and kept.

There looked like 3 Imperial troops holding their guns at all 5 staff who had their hands up with pale faces and wide eyes. Bella hid behind a house plant and kept a keen eye.

"We will ask again, are you hiding any Lucians in this warehouse?" One troop asked.

"No, we're not." An older man from the staff answered in a shaky voice; the 18 year-old knew he was both lying and scared.

"Well, let us through then." A female trooper to the left asked.

"We can't let you. Company policy!" A woman called out.

"Bullshit, you're fucking hiding something aren't you?" The female soldier asked. "A shame really, once we're done with you their blood will be on your hands."

Bella couldn't hold it in any longer. Her blood was boiling at them threatening innocent people like this. She couldn't just let them get away with it. Something in her body wanted to protect those people, save those people from grave danger the same feeling she felt when Ravus was getting hurt.

She raced towards them, jumped and landed hard on the troop in middle's back stomping on it making him buckle to his knees. She was quick with her actions as before the other 2 Nifs could turn around to react, she drove both daggers into their throats. She pulled her weapons out then leaped up into the air. The only living trooper reacted quickly by looking up and shooting his gun, she threw her dagger down into his chest and warped down to take it out. He fell onto the ground bleeding out of his chest struggling to breathe and the three of them were bleeding to their deaths, unable to move or say anything at all.

Bella looked up at the staff who all sighed with relief as they watched the entire thing. Thank goodness none of them got hurt in the crossfire. Suddenly the Princess felt a tight burning sensation on her left shoulder and her face scrunched up with pain.

She shrieked whilst touching her upper arm underneath her cloak. Her finger brushed against the wound and she hissed with pain.

"She got hit!" A woman from the staff exclaimed and they all ran towards her. The Princess looked at her, she looked like Noctis's age with golden blonde curly hair up to her shoulders, slightly tanned skin, freckles, round bright brown eyes and a slim body. "Show me your arm." Bella lifted her arm towards her and one of the older members of staff got her a chair to sit on and she plopped herself down on it. Another receptionist pulled her cloak back showing the wound which was bleeding heavily. "I'm gonna have to remove the bullet lodged in your arm. Give me your dagger." Bella's eyes widened when she looked up at the woman's serious face.

"Are you crazy?" She asked.

"Just trust me. I'm a medical student." She smiled.

"Aurelia knows what she's doing child, trust her." An older woman stated and the younger woman sighed whilst giving the woman her dagger. The older woman grey hair tied back in a ponytail, fair skin with a few wrinkles and bright blue eyes.

"Now, I'm gonna have to check if it's lodged in an artery." She mumbled whilst taking a look. "Thank god it isn't. I can see it, but I need to take out the bullet. So this is gonna hurt a little."

When Bella felt the blade dig into the wound she screamed with tears falling down her cheeks. The older woman grabbed her hand for support and Bella unconsciously squeezed her hand tight.

"You're strong." The older woman mumbled and she looked up at her. "I'm Celia by the way."

"Nice to meet you all." Bella murmured.

"Can someone get me a first aid kit, please?" Aurelia asked and another receptionist ran over to the desk. He carried the green box and opened it. "Bandage." He took it out and gave it to Aurelia.

"No ordinary civilian can warp like that." A man stated.

"You're a Glaive, huh?" Aurelia asked as she tied the bandage around her arm. "There."

"Thank you so much." Bella thanked her quietly. "I was at the peace treaty signing and managed to get out of there."

"Terrible what happened. Especially to the King and Princess." Celia sighed. "She was a young innocent girl who did nothing wrong. She should've gone along with her brother to Altissia." Bellatrix gulped at this with her eyes stinging with tears.

"She had to stay to get engaged to the Prince. Besides, the Princess wouldn't have left her father especially when it's the Empire in our city." Aurelia added and the woman clad in black looked down with tears dropping on her lap. She couldn't let them see her tears, so she wiped her tears.

"Is there any way I can have some food from the stock? I haven't eaten in 12 hours." Bella muttered.

"Oh why yes of course. Come along dear." The blue eyed woman helped her up and they led her through the doorway out into a gigantic hall with aisles and aisles of supplies of food and drinks.

"We were actually hiding civilians." The man who lied before to the Imperial Troop stated.

"How many?" She asked.

"Around 150 people. They're right at the back of the hall." Aurelia answered. "Anything you fancy eating?"

"A lot of high energy food if possible." She said.

"Get her as much food as possible." The blonde commanded her colleagues and 3 of them scurried away.

Aurelia and Celia led her to the back of the warehouse where Bella saw everyone else. What really broke her heart was that they all looked either devastated or afraid. There were children who were crying and others who just rested in their parent's grasps. They all looked completely helpless and hopeless even though they were safe here. The elderly were just staring at the ground blankly without any emotion but one can say they seemed broken from the invasion. They all looked up at her and Aurelia pulled her a chair. The dark haired saviour sat down and pulled down her mask, knowing no one would recognise her. Her face was still dirty from soot and sweat and her mascara was smudged.

"Here you go, dear." Celia gave her a wet wipe and the Princess took it.

"Thank you, Celia." She wiped her face. She turned to everyone else who still stared at her as if knowing what she exactly did and she sighed. "If all of you stay here, the Imperial army will find you."

"There's nowhere else we can go." A man called out. "They blocked the only way for us to get out of the city."

"Can someone please explain to me what's been going on? Why are you all hiding?" She asked curiously and there was dead silence that felt suffocating. That was until an old man stood up. He looked frail, small with pale skin, many wrinkles on his face, a white beard and just some hair on top of his head. He was holding what looked like a Moogle doll in his hand.

"They call it cleansing and empowering. Imperial Soldiers are taking control of the city to achieve their full dominance over Lucis." The man's voice was rough and hoarse. "They're mercilessly killing Insomnians everywhere just to prove they're more powerful. The Kingsglaive, they've gone missing, except for the few that have died protecting us. We're all losing people we love, people we grew with, and people we would see every day so fast. My granddaughter," He held up the Moogle tightly with tears falling down his cheeks, his wise dark eyes looking up at her and his voice began to crack. "She was only 4 years old. She was all I had left in the world, I lived to raise her! I held her small lifeless body in my hands."

When Bella saw him cry and heard his story, she gripped onto her trembling fists as the hot tears kept falling down her cheeks. So many had lost their lives and the ones they loved just like she did, she couldn't just run away from this place whilst so many people were still suffering. She didn't have any help when fighting against Glauca when all hope and love was lost, she still fought. These people were innocent civilians who like her had no help. She had to protect these people, these people were **her** people. Her father may have told her she was free from the bondage of royal duty to pursue her own life, the way she wanted to live it. But protecting her people and getting them to safety was something she wanted to do, something she needed to do.

The young woman stood from her chair and walked up to the crying man. She held his hands in hers with her gaze to her feet.

"Your daughter did not deserve to die, none of your loved ones, no Insomnians deserved to die at the hands of those monsters!" She exclaimed. She helped the man to sit down on her seat and rested her hand on his shoulder. "Tell me, who is the monster responsible?"

"The Emperor and a man with a scar on his face." Her jaw was clenched as her knuckles turned white. They will get what's coming for them, someday.

"Is there a death toll?" Her voice was shaky.

"There aren't that many people left." Aurelia answered grimly. "There are 250 more people in two other warehouses.

"Do you have any of those trucks you use to transport distribution?" She asked and the blonde nodded. "Is there any way possible to locate those other warehouses?"

"We have their numbers. You have a plan right?" Aurelia questioned and the woman in black nodded.

The other members of staff came with a hearty meal prepared for her. A sandwich with brown slices of bread, egg, cream cheese, roasted sweet potato and salmon. They also had a small pot of porridge with sliced apples, bananas and honey as toppings and a huge cup of Ebony.

"You got her breakfast?" Aurelia crossed her arms.

"It's perfect. All the right nutrients to give me enough energy, thank you." Bella smiled kindly and sat on the floor with other families. She ate the food as if she had been starved for days. Celia felt relieved that she was eating properly.

Bella opened up the map she had with her, on the ground and sipped her coffee. The other members of staff brought their own maps too and they sat together.

"So here's the plan. There is a secret passageway hidden away from the public and hopefully away from enemy eye, which leads to the outskirts of the City. It leads to The Weaverwilds. First we have to get the civilians onto the distribution trucks from the other warehouses. From there you are going to need to drive to that passageway." Bella explained.

"How are we going to do it without getting stopped by Imperials?" Celia asked.

"How many people can you fit into one truck?" Bella asked.

"150 people with a lot of food too." A man answered.

"So you're only gonna need 3 trucks. There are 4 dead Imperial Troops at the reception area. 4 people can take their clothes and impersonate them to get around easily. If someone asks why, say you're just taking as much food as possible out of the city. If they want to check at the back, position the food boxes blocking their view." She informed.

"That sounds like a good plan." The blue eyes woman smiled.

"Are you all okay with that?" Everyone else nodded.

Whilst the others were preparing for the plan, Bella spoke to a few families. They were afraid if they were going to get caught and told her they didn't want to lose any more family members. She reassured them that if they believe in the plan then it would surely work. Some younger children also seemed very afraid and were on the verge of crying. But she calmed them down, telling them they had to stay brave like her. She told them that like her, they too were extremely strong for surviving. The children absolutely loved her and admired her for her strength, bravery and determination and everyone else were extremely grateful that she was helping out.

The Warehouse staff members from other locations within the city were contacted and everything was ready. All the trucks were filled with enough supplies to last about 2 weeks and the truck leaving last contained all the civilians. Aurelia and Celia stayed with the people in the truck whilst 4 others were dressed as Imperial Troops. Bella put her mask back on and they left the warehouse.

As they drove the trucks through the roads, the Princess in disguise was following close by warping from building to building. They took smaller roads and shortcuts instead of main roads to avoid any blockage or enemy detection.

* * *

It took them 15 minutes to get to the first warehouse and thankfully there weren't any Imperials at that building. Bella stood outside the gate keeping a careful eye on the civilians getting into the truck.

"What do we have here?" She heard a woman's voice and turned around holding her daggers up.

The woman looked middle aged but was extremely beautiful with silver hair, fair skin and green eyes. She was dressed in a red and black leather and her appearance screamed dragon. By her side were 2 men, one wearing a lighter grey coat and the other wearing one which was darker.

"None of your concern. You better leave if you know what's good for you." Bella threatened.

"Looks like human trafficking to me, Lady A." The man on the woman's left stated.

"You work for the Empire don't you?" The woman asked.

"I'm just a mercenary." The woman asked and sneered at the daggers. "You can put those away, I'm not gonna harm anyone and so are these two."

"How do I know I can trust you?" Bella growled.

"We don't have any weapons, so technically you're threatening us." She replied and the younger woman put her daggers back in her sheathes. "I'm Aranea by the way. These two are Biggs and Wedge. You got a name?" She motioned to the men who tipped their hats with respect. Bella glanced away from a moment then looked back at the woman.

"…Alexa Lucas." She answered meekly.

"That's obviously a made up name." Biggs stated.

"It is not!" The Princess exclaimed.

"You're terrible at lying. Your parents must have taught you to always speak the truth huh?" Aranea crossed her arms.

"My father taught me not to lie, he was a good man. But he got slaughtered by the Empire. The ones you work for." She glared at them. "I'm helping these people, putting my life at risk because they're innocent." The silver haired mercenary sighed whilst rubbing her forehead.

"Whatever the Empire is doing to these people, is wrong. We have nothing to do with it." She said.

Bella stated at the trio, they didn't look like bad people and Aranea seemed like she disliked the Empire. She had already made her mind about them and sighed.

"I trust you." She said.

"Is there any way we can get some food?" Wedge asked and Bella looked back at the others. "Please?"

"If we give you food, I only demand one thing." The Princess stated. "Help me transport these people out of the city. There's another way out of here."

"You got yourself a deal." Aranea smiled with her hand on her hip.

"If you even think about stabbing us in the back, I won't hesitate to kill you." She muttered as she led them through the gate. When the other members of the Warehouse turned to her their eyes widened. "They won't hurt you, trust me. They're going to help us get to our destination. Celia, could you get them some food, please?"

The older woman gave them some sandwiches and water and they thanked them. They headed back onto the road. Biggs and Wedge offered to drive 2 of the other trucks so they would look less suspicious. Aranea joined Bella jumping from roof to room helping her keep an eye from the sky.

They manage to get to the next warehouse and escort more civilians out into the trucks in just an hour. The passageway was truly hidden from the public as it was through a forest.

There was a 115ft brick wall that acted like a border to Keycatriach, a rich town that was invaded by daemons when the Wall was pushed back. On the wall was a huge outline of what looked like a round door which were covered by leaves.

"How do we get this bad boy to open?" Aranea asked.

"There's no handle, so we're gonna have to push through." The woman in black answered.

The two woman and Biggs and Wedge, placed their hands on the door and after the count of 3 they started pushing. It took them all of their strengths to push through as the door creaked and slowly opened. The passageway looked large enough for the trucks to drive through so they stood aside for the trucks to enter.

Both Celia and Aurelia got off their trucks and ran to meet up with the ones who opened the door.

"Head for any outposts possible in Leide. It's only 7pm so it's going to get dark soon. You guys should hurry." Bella stated.

"How can we ever repay you?" Celia asked with a sweet gentle smile.

"You kept me fed and helped me with an injury. It's the least I can do." The woman in black stated. "Now hurry."

"Thank you for all your help. We're forever grateful. I hope to meet you again." Aurelia stated.

"Me too." Bella nodded and they got back into the truck to leave. All 3 trucks successfully entered all the passageways and the door was shut. The youngest of the group turned to the others. "I need to go check in on a family I know. Where are you going to go?"

"We're gonna stay here just in case you send us anyone our way." The silver haired woman stated and the Princess smiled with a nod before heading out into the forest.


	7. Chapter 7: Kindness

**Warrior of Lucis **

**Chapter 7: Kindness**

She headed west from the forest and could see the Amicitia Mansion in the distance. But just as she was about to leave the forest, she noticed something else. Silver armour and a gun…Quickly, she warped up onto a tree to check what the situation was. But when she peered down from the branch, she could see the house was surrounded by MTs and Imperial Troops patrolling the surroundings. It seems that the back door was broken into and Bella growled at this. Those monsters had gotten there before she could.

Bella took out her dagger and held onto it tightly; she had to be quick with these stealth kills because there were about 10 of them around, 5 MTs and 5 troops. She warped to the back gate and no one had heard her. It took her only 30 seconds to warp kill all 5 troops and another 35 seconds to warp kill the rest of the MTs. When she had warped back to the gate, she leaned back catching her breath. Her heart was pumping so fast she thought she could have a heart attack any minute now. The young woman sighed whilst wiping the sweat from her forehead.

She heard loud talking from inside the house and decided to head in. She walked as quietly and as quickly as she could do so possible. She crossed the spacious kitchen and walked through the corridor leading to where the voice sounded closest which was the living room. The living room was humungous and well decorated. A fireplace lit the room and there stood a man with a black and red Imperial general's armour on who had blonde hair. He was interrogating Cor, Iris and Monica. When Bella saw they were safe she felt weight being left off her shoulders.

"I will ask once again, where is the location of the Prince?" The blond asked brashly.

"We keep telling you. We don't know!" Iris exclaimed.

"Lies!" He yelled. "Well what more expected of Lucians."

Bella's fist was shaking with anger and she decided to act; not in anger but in stealth. The young woman noticed Iris's slippers, they would never make noise when she would walk across the floor, so she decided to put them on; thankfully they had the same foot size. She began taking step by step not making any noise and breathing softly through her nose. The woman in black was getting closer and closer like a cat creeping on its prey. Thankfully the others didn't notice since she was moving so slowly and she was small.

Finally she got to the right distance; just two feet away from the General. She took a step back then began running towards him. He turned around but was too late, she had jumped onto him and he fell onto the floor, she kept his arms securely over his chest and sat on his lap.

"Rope! Get rope!" She yelled. Monica took a second to process what was going and then she rushed to get something to tie him up with.

"Unhand me at once!" The blond shouted. "I have troopers outside, they'll come in and here and kill everyone."

"They're already dead. I killed them all." She stated and she felt something against her inner thigh. She hoped that it was a hidden sword. She glared at him with a low growl escaping her lips. "If that isn't a sword, I'll cut it off." He gulped and a cold sweat rolled down his neck.

Monica came back with 2 long pieces of ropes and gave one to Cor. The Marshall took the rope and knelt down. He began tying the General's wrists together whilst Monica tied his legs and ankles together tightly. The brown haired man looked up at the woman clad in black and looked up at him too. He saw her green eyes and his eyebrows furrowed as his eyes began to glisten with tears; did he recognise her? No. If he did, he would have reacted differently, her eyes probably reminded him. She couldn't help but smile behind her mask as her tears fell down her cheeks.

"Are you two lovers or something?" That earned the blond a punch on the face.

"I don't want to punch you again on that pretty face of yours." She said through her teeth and got off him.

"Here." Monica handed her some tape. Bella took it, ripped a piece and slapped it on his mouth.

She picked him up and turned to Iris. "I need a room to put him in."

"Right this way." The brunette led her to a coat closet and opened the door. Bella pushed him into there and he fell onto his chest at the back of the closet. Iris closed the door and lifted up the latch so he would be able to open the door from the inside.

"Who are you?" Cor asked suspiciously.

"A member of the Kingsglaive." She answered nonchalantly. "You all need to get out of the city."

"There's no other way. The bridge out there is blocked off." Iris stated.

"There's another way. A secret passageway out of the city not too far away from here." She said.

"Lady Iris, do you want to leave now or in the morning?" Monica asked and the teenager looked down with a frown. Bella placed her hand on her shoulder.

"We'll leave whenever it's convenient for you." She reassured Iris.

"I want to leave after we let the lanterns go." She stated.

"That's fine, we should all eat before then." Cor replied and looked at Bella. "You must be hungry."

"Something light, please." She said,

"I'll show you to the bathroom so you can freshen up." Iris smiled and led her upstairs.

Bella entered the bathroom and locked the door behind her. She leaned against the door and slid down, taking her mask off and placing her hand on her chest. Burning tears kept falling down her cold cheeks when she kept thinking about the way Cor looked into her eyes with so much pain and hurt. She couldn't tell them who she really was; she was just unable to do it. She could have but she didn't and she didn't know why. No…if she showed them who she truly was, they could have been in danger for harbouring her. The Imperials would get to them and hunt them down in the city. It was best they didn't know who she exactly was.

The Princess stood up, pulling her hood down and walked towards the basin and washed her face with cold water. She closed the tap and looked up at the mirror whilst gripping onto the edges of the sink.

It was still her in the mirror, still Bellatrix from the outside. But to herself, she looked like a different person, not the Princess but rather her own person. Someone who could do whatever she pleased, someone who was no longer trapped in a cage of royalty, someone who was free. The scar on her face had darkened and she had developed a purple bruise there, but that didn't mind her. In fact, she loved it. She loved all her bruises, all her injuries, all her cuts. If someone else was to hear her thoughts, she'd sound crazy to them. But all of this, they were evidence that she survived, that she fought through, that she was strong. And who was the person who taught her this? The person told her that scars were beautiful, that scars were a sign of strength and is a sign of beauty through endurance and determination. It was Gladio. She smiled to herself with a small tear falling down her cheeks. She hoped to see him again so he could see her beauty and strength instead of the fragile girl she once was.

The young woman noticed her hair and ran her fingers through them. She always wanted to get it cut, but her old lady in waiting told her that long hair was a sign of femininity. Hell it was the Modern Era, not the Ancient one. Bella personally loved the way her hair looked now. It wasn't neat and boring but rather full of volume and felt different. It was more her own style. Ravus…he did this, in order to save her. Her pale cheeks turned pink, her eyes sparkled with admiration and her mouth curved into a sweet smile. She really wanted to see him again especially safe and sound. But her heart yearned for more than that. Seeing him wasn't enough, she wanted no she needed more but what?

Bella shook off that feeling and washed her feet too. There were small shards of glass stuck in them but it didn't draw out too much blood. When she was all done, she pulled her hood back up and her mask back on.

She went back downstairs and sat down in the dining table back in the kitchen. She was joined by both Dustin, Hester and Talcott too.

"So you're the one who took them out?" Hester asked and she nodded.

"Yes sir." She answered.

"You're voice sounds awfully familiar." Cor muttered and Bella felt a lump in her throat she couldn't swallow. Drops of sweat rolled down the back of her neck and she looked up at the Marshall.

"A lot of people say I sound familiar to them, even though I've never met them." She answered.

"I'm afraid Cup Noodles are all we have today." Monica apologised as she placed many cups of noodles on the table.

"That's quite alright, anything is fine for me." Bella reassured her whilst taking one and peeled off the cover. The steam rose into the air, she pulled her mask down and she began eating whilst looking down, hiding her face from them.

"My brother has an unhealthy obsession with them." Iris stated and Bella nodded; she already knew this.

"You should call him up." Cor suggested and the brunette nodded as she picked up the house phone and went outside to talk to him.

"So you're part of the Kingsglaive, huh? That means you can warp right?" Talcott asked with a bright smile.

"Yes, I can warp. That's how I got around so undetected." She said.

"So where do you come from, child?" The old man asked.

"Lucian, I was born in Cleigne. My family took me to Insomnia when I was just a baby." That was actually the truth. "I was at the signing yesterday and through some miracle I got out of there alive."

"Wait, you're the one who helped those people hiding in the Warehouse escape, right?" Cor asked with furrowed eyebrows.

"Word must have spread quickly then." She replied.

"You must be really strong!" The young boy exclaimed and she giggled.

"I had the strongest teacher to teach me how to fight." She smiled whilst looking down, her eyes filled with tears and Monica noticed this. "They-"

"Um, excuse me." Iris had walked back into the room and gave the phone to Bella. "My brother wants to talk to you."

"With me?" She asked with wide eyes and the girl nodded. Bella gulped and took the phone. Her face flushed red as she pressed the phone against her ear.

"Hello…" She managed to mumble.

"Hey, you're the one who saved my sister and the others, right?" She heard Gladio's deep clear voice in her ear and felt her heart beating faster.

"Yes, yes I am." Her voice was higher now and they noticed it.

"I wanted to personally thank you. It means a lot to me. She's the only one I got left. I'm guilty I'm not there to save her. But at least you did." He replied.

"It really was nothing." Bella said. "May I ask…how is Noctis…I mean the Prince? How is he doing?"

"Pretty depressed about his dad and baby sis, like all of us." Her eyebrows furrowed together as she frowned. Noctis…she knew he would take the news rough. But she had belief that he was strong, he was stronger than her of course.

"I see…well, please give him my condolences." She replied.

"Will do…anyway I really owe you one for saving the others." He began. "I hope you're single. Not a lot of girls are strong like you are. How 'bout a date?" She could hear him smirk on the phone.

Her eyes widened and she felt her heart stop. Her face felt like it was on fire and she gave the phone back to Iris with her head down as she gripped onto the cloth of her cloak. Iris took the phone and held it up to her ear.

"What did you say to her? She's all flustered!" The small Amicitia exclaimed with a pout. "You asked her out? You're a big idiot you know that." She cut off the phone and sighed stressfully. She sat next to the woman in black and placed her hand on her shoulder. "Don't mind my brother. He's just an idiot."

"He means well." Cor commented and Bella nodded.

"It's fine. I just didn't expect that." She mumbled.

"You can count on Master Gladiolus to be so unexpected." Hester chuckled and so did the others.

Bella thanked them for their meal and asked Monica if she could prepare one more for the man in the closet. She gave her the cup of prepared noodles and Bella entered the coat closet with Cor standing outside to guard it. The young woman switched on the light and the General was still in the same position she left him in. She pulled down her face mask, her hood covered half her face so he wouldn't recognise her, and helped him lean against the wall as she sat cross legged beside him.

"Alright supper time." She sang whilst ripping the tape off in one go as he shrieked with pain.

"Agh, couldn't you be more careful?" He asked with a glare.

"I'm terribly sorry." She wasn't. The blond looked down at what was in her hand and his face scrunched up.

"What on earth is that?" His tone was full of disgust as if what she held was alien.

"It's called cup noodles. Surely you have them in Niflheim." Bella replied.

"It's riddled with MSG. I'm not eating that!" He exclaimed and the young woman began blowing to them.

"Food is food, now open wide." He huffed and opened his mouth slightly. The woman in black fed him the food and he kept his gaze away from hers with bright pink cheeks. "Tell me, what's your name?"

"I don't wish to become friends with you, Lucian." He muttered and she smiled at this.

"I see that as a challenge. But I want to know what to call you." She stated and he had finished his food.

"You will address me as General Tummelt." The General stated and she rolled her eyes.

"I meant your first name." Bella's green eyes sparkled as the corners of her mouth quirked up into a gentle and warm smile. The young blond pouted and huffed moodily; beautiful women would be deceiving, he told himself. But her act of kindness and the smile she was giving him. The people of Lucis would look at him with fear, anger or hate. But her…he looked back at her as she fluttered her eyelashes. "Please?" She tilted her head to the side and the tone of her voice heightened.

"It's Loqi." Loqi mumbled.

"That's a lovely name, my name is Be-" She stopped in mid-sentence and realise that she was going to reveal her name. In just an instant, her mood changed, the smile dropped and her gaze lowered. "If I tell you my true name, these people will be in danger. I would be in danger."

"You must be of high importance here, then." He stated. "Very well."

"I promise you, I will show you my face tomorrow morning. I want you to see the face of the one who gave you mercy." She stood up and left the cup on the floor. "You can pee in there since its empty. I'll see you tomorrow morning." Bella put her mask back on and left the closet.

"Did he cause you any trouble?" Cor asked as the young woman lifted the handle.

"No, Loqi was well behaved. I'll let him out tomorrow. We should join the others." Cor nodded and led her up the stairs. They went out into the balcony and climbed up some stairs which led to the roof.

They were each holding a lantern with Dustin handing Cor the other one he saved for him.

"I'm sorry we didn't have one more for you." Iris apologised and the 18 year-old shook her head.

"It's alright. What is this for by the way?" She asked curiously.

"It's for the Princess. To honour her memory." The teen replied and the said Princess's eyes widened. "Noct sent word out."

"Iris it's time." Monica stated.

They all let go of their sky lanterns and they all floated into the sky. Bella's bottom lip quivered as the tears in her sparkling eyes fell. She felt her heart swell and her hands were clasped at her chest. All of this…for her. Noctis wanted to do this all for her to honour and respect her memory; her brother truly loved her more than she could ever imagine. In the distance she could see more and more lanterns floating in the sky. The other people in city, though hiding also did this. She once thought the people of Insomnia did not care for her, but here they were, mourning her death.

Bella turned to Cor who was staring up at the beautifully lit sky. His lips were pressed tightly together as the tears kept trickling down her cheeks. Watching him cry like this, for her truly broke her heart. She lifted her hands up as they made their way towards him. But she froze just before they could wrap their way around him. Her hands were trembling as she pulled them back and wrapped them around herself instead. She really wanted to hold him and embrace him, for him to hold her in his arms so she could feel safe and secure. He was the only one who could fill the emptiness she had when her father left this world. But she couldn't…only she was the only one to hug him…but she was under disguise. Oh, how she wanted to reveal herself to them. But if she did…it would only endanger them. Instead she just had to watch him and the others mourn for her death whilst she stood there very much alive but in pain.


End file.
